Binge Drinking
by Nikaya
Summary: A depressed Danny - due to family and girlfriend problems - ends up getting drunk at the bar, only to be discovered by Sam. When she takes him back to her apartment is when things start to get interesting and old sparks might fly. DXS; swearing & alcohol. This story is adopted from Draco09 with permission; the first four chapters are his but edited and I will be continuing it.
1. A Dark Encounter

He set the shot glass down, swallowing the remaining taste of the liquor in his mouth. It was going to be another start to a depressing night. By now he had been expecting it, even before he would walk into the dimly lit bar and sit on one of the stools fraught with rust and vandalism. The dark-haired male sighed out of his lack of willpower, not even bothering to stop himself from ordering a refill.

Danny was surrounded by the sounds of low, steady music and smell of body odor wafting through the air around him. The dreary atmosphere was periodically interrupted by pool balls clacking together or the occasional drunkard getting thrown out by security. He went to this bar enough times to know that now. It had been a week since he started going as frequently as he did now, so began to find comfort in his surroundings. He figured most of his life wasn't worth remembering anyway, especially now. Family issues, girlfriend problems, college work, ghost fighting, and his day job were hard to balance, and none of them were making his life any easier.

The car accident that occurred the previous Sunday started his long chain of problems. A speeding Saturn happened "accidentally" crash into the Fenton RV one moonless night, when his dad and him were just coming back from a father-son camping trip… something Jack and Danny hadn't done in a long, long while. The crash was devastating, with thousands of dollars' worth of damage to the RV, as described by the police. Danny managed to survive the crash with only a mild concussion and few deep cuts and bruises, quickly healed by his paranormal biology… but Danny's father…

 _He was clumsy… and goofy… and sometimes embarrassing…. But he was my dad… and a damn good one at that…._

Police eventually realized that the crash was a set up, and done on purpose in order to kill the individuals – or at least the driver in particular – in the RV. Through his aching head and unstoppable pain in his limbs, Danny could make out the slight glow of red in the man's eyes before he was arrested and put into the police car, along with the chiming of new handcuffs.

 _Congrats, Vlad. You finally managed to kill my father. It only took you snapping and using the most mundane method you could have._ Again, Danny took a big gulp of his drink as the thoughts flooded his mind as if the event occurred yesterday.

Maddie Fenton was completely ruined. She was bawling the moment she heard of his death, immediately grasping her son into a long hug. She was glad Danny was alive and well, but the death of the husband she loved would be remembered for as long as she lived. For the rest of that night after the police left, Danny didn't hear from her, despite his want to comfort and console his distressed – and now only – parent.

Valerie Gray was a lovely woman, and Danny knew he wanted something special with her. Her caramel skin would glow in the sun, and her curly black hair would always remind him of the black liquorish he loved as a kid. Not only that, but she was as sweet as her traits described… until you pissed her off.

Often, Valerie and he would fight about ridiculous things; she always seemed to yell at him for the small mistakes he made, from forgetting allergy medicine during the spring, to leaving his clothes in the bathroom after he took a shower. She would anger easily, and he realized it the hard way. Strangely, in some cases, it made her more attractive in his eyes, but after a few years of it becoming a major habit, he started seeing her in a different light. The stupidest thing he had done was actually talk back I defense of his own being, but of course she won.

Quarreling continued throughout their relationship for another two years, up until the other day when he told how he's been feeling about her yelling and complaining because he knew his opinion mattered in their relationship. Danny knew she was stressed out with her job while juggling school, and helping Danny fight ghosts, but it didn't mean she had to take it out on him. However, confronting the problem and pointing out the cause of her yelling made her even angrier. The hardest thing he did then and there was break up with her. They had been sharing an apartment in the basement of the house Valerie grew up in, she he prompting packed everything and went home.

Danny felt that he was in love with her and didn't want to leave her, but what was a better alternative? He couldn't deal with her yellowing and volatile behavior; it was too much for him now. Since the loss of his father, the least stressful situations were starting to become impossible to overcome… which included Valerie's constant verbal abuse. Now, he was single and still having recurring emotions about his ex. And now he fought ghosts alone while commuting further to school to boot.

Danny rubbed his face out of shame, wishing he could turn back time and turn the RV intangible so he could save his father or somehow change things with Valerie to make it work. To makes things worse, he nearly lost his part-time job earlier that morning for being late. Again. Ghost fighting was also taking up his time and exhausting him more than usual with the emotional pain he was already in. From there, he was also struggling to boost his already low grade point average.

 _At least I can say I was never good at math… or English…._

Downing another shot of liquor, he again asked for another refill, even though he knew it wasn't doing him any good, both physically and mentally. But he didn't care. He stopped caring what felt like ages ago. His life was slowly dripping down the drain, and he was at a loss for what he was supposed to do anymore. The only people that would support him were his friends, but he hadn't seen them in a while thanks to busy schedules. He hadn't gotten together with Tucker and Sam since a few months before the accident. Other than that, no other option seemed available to him… so he drank. Right at that moment, it was the only thing he could do.

* * *

"Goddamn Paulina…." Sam grumbled to herself, her steps heavy with anger. "Bitch won't quit being as shallow as a puddle…."

Recently, an encounter with the Hispanic female made Sam's blood boil to baking temperature. Even at nineteen, Paulina still felt like she was at the top of the totem pole, not realizing that high school was over, and life would begin from there. She had been asking Sam about Danny constantly, and not because she was curious of his depressed state, but because she wanted the dirt on her ex-boyfriend. Sam had caught wind of Danny and Valerie's breakup from Paulina stalking his and her Facebooks. She so badly wanted to call Danny and make sure he was okay, but she knew the consequences of jumping the gun, and didn't want to cause problems if it was only temporary. They had broken up and gotten back together a few times during their relationship with Sam always biting her tongue to not start trouble.

Sam continued to stroll down the road, walking home after a long day at work. Thanks to her parents, she was able to get a one-bedroom apartment relatively close to her school. Her parents couldn't understand why she wanted a job, seeing that they could hand her an apartment, but Sam insisted that it felt rewarding. After her days were over, she was still tired and wanted to get home before the street would get too dark. Her encounter with Paulina didn't make her sleepy mood any better, but at least she had an apartment to go back to… and a bed.

Her job was only down the street from her apartment, so a short walk was all that was needed. She didn't mind though; she needed the fresh air after she sat in the office building all day with the awful stench of dusty air conditioning and compressed air.

She walked by a nearby bar, rolling her eyes at the racket inside the beat-up building. Despite her distain for drinking and partying, Sam couldn't help but feel a little wary of the place. She passed by the building hundreds of times before, but somehow it felt so alien.

 _Danny's been so depressed since the accident, and has been acting strange lately…._ She glanced through the windows of the bar as she slowly walked past. _What if he's -?_

She wanted to slap herself for even thinking of him like that. She couldn't imagine Danny being unpredictable enough to turn to drugs due to his suffering. Try as she might, she couldn't picture it. He had always been a genuinely good kid, save for a few reckless mistakes here and there that he would quickly amend. But that…?

His behavior _had_ been a bit off, but that didn't mean that he's been out drinking. She'd seen him go to the bar once before on the day after the accident – which wasn't the best of decisions, but it was understandable that he needed time alone so she let it slide – but has he been going more often? He never spoke about it to her – which was strange – so she'd been suspicious of him. She had tried texting and calling but to little avail. He would give her one word replies or say he was too busy to talk on the phone, and when she would offer to stop by, he'd immediately shut her down. The worst part was that he hadn't seemed to be talking to _anyone_ since the accident followed by the breakup. Sam would at least rather him talk to someone, even if it wasn't her that he turned to.

She shook her head. _No, Sam. Just walk away from the bar… go home… get some rest…._ She told herself to stay calm, to just relax. If she had to deal with the realization that Danny might become addicted, she knew she'd fall apart with him.

Sam passed the bar, back into the threshold of the night. The bar was the only somewhat lively place in the area, and its lights were the brightest on the street. Once she passed it, she was again in darkness… just the way she liked it. She tried to focus on the bliss she felt when the moonlight kissed any area left uncovered, including her face. Sam didn't want to think about the awful events that Danny had went through, or his behavior, or his possible drinking habits for that matter. All she wanted was some sleep.

Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps were heard behind her. They seemed faint, but Sam grew cautious. If it was some weirdo trying to stalk her for sex or money or whatever the hell they wanted, she have to make a run for it. She saw a nearby parked car and decided to slip behind it, away from the sidewalk so that she could see the person who followed her when they crossed into the glow of the streetlamp.

The person's footsteps were still faint, but they seemed uneven. Normally when a person walked, the steps were in sync and made some sort of pattern. This person had a completely different footing altogether, almost as if he or she was stumbling half way down the street.

"Hello-o-o-o-o-o-o…?" The voice was male, sounding a bit boisterous from where she was. "Ca-can somebody tell me where… where my house is…?" He started saying things to himself but was still loud enough to be heard. "Where's that… lady… person…?"

 _Oh great. A drunkard. Looking for_ me.

Sam could tell from the footsteps to the voice that this person was clearly intoxicated. His slurring made it hard to tell how old they might be, but it was definitely male and definitely had consumed alcohol. Sam mentally flinched, remembering her previous thoughts about Danny. It would kill her to ever see him like that.

Sam pulled out her cell phone from her pocket in one hand and had her hand on a pocket knife in the other, just in case the man tried to attack her. Slowly, she stepped out onto the sidewalk to find out who was following her home – and scaring the crap out of her. The footsteps grew louder until finally, he can into the light of the streetlamp Sam stood under. He managed to lean his arm against a nearby tree to hold himself up, eventually lifting his head with a stupid grin on his face.

Sam sucked in air. "Danny…?"

Danny, seeing an actual person in front of him, decided to ask the question he was hoping to get an answer to. "Hey! Um… hi…. Do you know where my house… might be? I-I kind of forgot… an' stuff… I swear I knew where… but… I don't." He giggled to himself at his own stupidity, while Sam stepped forward and grabbed his free arm, trying to keep him balanced.

Sam realized how serious the whole situation was. Danny was drunk, all on his own, while any random person could pick him up, or he could get into a car or even be run over by one. She knew she couldn't bring him home to his mom, with his being underage, drunk, and her having to deal with her own grief and the Danny's.

"Hey!" Danny screamed too loudly in Sam's ear. "I know… you…. Sam, right?"

"Yes, Danny. It's Sam." she grunted in response, struggling to get him upright. "I'm going to have to take you back to my place since you're smashed," she tried to explain.

"Smashed? Who was smashed?" Danny asked.

"You." Sam replied dryly as they started down the street.

"Cool!" shouted a goofily grinning Danny. He sounded even more boisterous than before.

"Shush!" Sam snapped. "Keep it down, will you? People are trying to sleep."

"But shouting is _fun!_ " He started getting further away from Sam, trying to prove his point.

Sam caught up to him and grabbed his arm, tears on the brim of her eyes. "Danny, please…. Try to be quiet and come with me, okay?" she coaxed. "You're not looking too good, and it's getting late; you need a place to stay."

Danny's expression turned a bit stern and shook her hand off of his arm. He crossed his arms. "I can lead myself there, you know! Geez!"

Danny tried walking on his own down the sidewalk despite Sam's protesting, but found himself going from one end of the path to the other. He failed walking a straight line, making it more obvious that he needed her. "See? I'm doin' jus' _fine_!" To prove his point, he would up meeting a tree face-first with a whack. His body then met the ground.

"You won't survive ten minutes on your own," Sam replied to his ridiculousness. Getting annoyed, she walked over to where he feel and looked down at him, crossing her arms over her chest, leaning on one hip.

Danny's face was surprisingly calm with his lips curled into a big grin – despite the cut on them from the tree – as if was about to burst out laughing. "I got knocked down by a tree…."

Sam frowned. She would have laughed at Danny's obvious statement, but more apprehensiveness began to cloud her thoughts. They weren't very far from the bar, and who knows what could happen if another drunkard would walk by.

"Danny, seriously, knock it off," she said. "Try to stand up."

With her help, Danny managed to get his body off the ground with Sam letting one of his arms drape over her shoulders. It was better to keep him balanced so she could get a better grip on him.

With his face so close, she could smell the rancid odor of alcohol on his breath, making her cringe, both from the consumption of the drug and of his discretion to do so in the first place. The realization that he was doing such a stupid act was making her nervous for his safety, yet it did make her more persistent to help out with his depression. Although she was one of his best friends for years, she knew that when it came to a distressed and angry Danny Fenton, stay away and let him burn some steam. She didn't want to make his losses any more painful than they already were. But because of that, it led him down a road that could lead straight to alcoholism. She needed to monitor him more often than what he would want normally.

"I still dun get why you have ta hold me up," Danny interrupted her thoughts. "I was doin' fine without you."

She glanced at him, his head less than a foot away from hers. Even in this state and in the darkness of the night, his eyes were still that alluring shade soft blue. She obliged, "Sure, of course you were. Keep telling yourself that." The least she could do was cheer herself up with some good old sarcasm.

"Don't worry, girly, I will," he told her, finding that he was getting drowsy. He rested his head on Sam's shoulder.

In spite of everything, Sam couldn't help but crack a small smile at the sentiment and the memories, even if she hated him calling her "girly".

"Danny… you're a hopeless drunk."

* * *

 **[A/N 3-8-17]: Hi everyone! So I know this story seems to have come from out of nowhere for me, but here's what happened. I was going through some older stories I favorited and remembered this one and found that it had been discontinued. So I contacted the author, Draco09 on fanfiction, and asked if I could adopt it, to which he was happy someone wanted to finish it!**

 **Ultimately, the first four chapters completely and totally are Draco09's. I just touched them up and edited some errors.**

 **I plan on continuing and finishing this story after posting the first four. There's just a few notes here for continuity sake:**

 **There is no Phantom Planet for this**

 **They're about 19 or 20, sophomores in college**

 **Danny has dated Sam, then Paulina, then Valerie**

 **Maddie Fenton lives with Danny at Fenton Works; Jasmine is away at school (Harvard)**

 **Danny, Sam, and Tucker are all in different colleges; Danny is at a small public university that Valerie also attends, Sam is at a larger, private university that Paulina also attends, and Tucker is at a community college. They're all still in the city or outskirts of Amity Park.**

 **Danny's major is Physics… he still wants to become an astronaut; Sam's is environmental science with a business minor, and Tucker's is political science**

 **Other details will be revealed as the story progresses.**

 **Please review the story here or tell Draco09 how much you love it too! I will be posting this story between chapters for my other (original) story, Pokemon Ashen. Stay tuned for more!**


	2. No Rest for the Weary

Sam unlocked her apartment door, whilst trying to hold up a nearly dormant – and much taller – Danny Fenton. The weight on her shoulder was starting to bother her and gently moved Danny's head so he would ease the strain on her sore deltoid muscle. She sighed exasperatedly when Danny moved back into the position that cause the most pain. She rolled her eyes, walking through the door once she managed to put her keys away.

Carefully trying to move out of the way of the door before closing it, she turned on the light to a small, cream-colored kitchen area, cozy enough for Sam's likings. To her right, a small coffee tamp held up a lamp where she set her bag down temporarily. Next to the coffee table was a computer desk and chair and cross from that was a dark hallway that appeared vacant. In front of the computer desk was a beaten up couch with most of the exterior burnt away and some of the skirt gone. The pillows were small and thin with some threads sticking out. The couch came to its fate just a few weeks ago when Danny Phantom was fighting with one of his arch enemies, Skulker. Danny just _happened_ to be in front of _her_ apartment when Skulker fired his ecto-energy gun – which of course – missed Danny and hit her furniture instead.

 _Sometimes I wish Skulker was actually good at ghost hunting so I wouldn't have to pay more money to fix my shit._ Sam glanced at Danny, who was about to crash at any moment and quickly shook him awake.

"Danny, for god's sake, just keep your eyes open for a little while longer," she said, a more than a bit annoyed.

"But I'm _tired_ ," he whined rather childishly.

"Well, then, if you're so damn tired, then why don't you go find a bed to, you know, fall asleep in?" Although Danny was a drunken idiot, the least she could do was distract him while she could relax for the time being and get help. She couldn't handle an intoxicated guy like Danny on her own… not when he was being this unpredictable. She was about ready to yank out a good chunk of her ebony hair from the little amount of time she spent with him.

"Okay, _fine_ ," Danny complied, getting off of Sam's shoulder and unsteadily started walking. Sam, seeing that he had the confidence to do things on his own, practically collapsed out of exhaustion on the chair by the computer desk. She watched with amusement at Danny's attempts to do things by himself. His vision was blurry and could only see double. His lack of balance didn't make his situation any easier. The unstable movements caused him to instinctively grab onto a nearby chair that was closest to the kitchen table.

"Danny, do you need some-?"

"I ca do it!" he snapped, making him sound even less like an adult. Taking a tentative hand off the chair, he lingered in his standing position for a few moments and began walking toward the hallway that was just around the corner. Sam didn't want to deal with his insanity anymore.

 _God, it's about time…._

"Time to get Tucker," she said, forcing her hand into her back pocket, she grabbed her cell phone. She scrolled through her recents and picked out Tucker's name, waiting for him to pick up.

Tucker lived not too far from Sam; his apartment was just a little further down the street. She would have just walked over, had it not been for Danny's current state.

After three rings, it went to voicemail. "Of course," she hissed.

She looked over at the computer and a thought occurred to her. "I swear, if you're gaming and just not answering…." She sat down at the desk and turned on the PC. When it finally booted up, she typed in her password and Skype popped open, revealing that Tucker was indeed online.

She used the video call option and waited for him to pick up. After a few seconds, Tucker came on the screen, rubbing his eyes. "Hey Sam… What's going on, besides giving me a heart attack?"

"You okay?" she asked, despite most of her concern for Danny occupying her mind. "You look like you're about to drop."

He yawned before replying. "I have a huge essay due for English tomorrow, and I've been working on it all night…."

"Procrastinating 'til the last minute again?"

"Yeah… pretty much," he said sheepishly. He looked down at the time on his computer. "Oh my god, it's almost 12!"

"I know," she said, trying to rub the sleep out of her own eyes.

"I've been working on this for five hours!" he yelled. Tucker began to notice the way Sam's eyes were redder than usual and the way she was avoiding looking directly at the camera.

"Hey… Are you feeling alright? You look about ready to bawl." he asked with sincerity.

It didn't go unnoticed. Sam glanced back at Tucker who had a look of concern, and she knew she had to go ahead and tell one of her other best friends what had to be said.

"Tucker… I was walking home earlier since my boss let me out late, and… I found Danny drunk and following me down the street. I finally managed to get him back to my apartment after a long hour, but I need someone's help, like, _now_ …."

She paused, sighing, feeling pained to even tell Tucker her situation. "I can't do this on my own, not when Danny's like this, and I can't stand to see him in this state. It really breaks my heart that he's gotten this despondent enough to start drinking like this. I just…." She couldn't seem to finish her sentence, her eyes glancing away from the computer screen, licking her lips apprehensively as Tucker started to feel even worse than Sam.

Since being told of his father's death, Danny had been starting to drink heavily and only told Tucker of his new habit. Danny and he both agreed to not speak of it to Sam… for her and Danny knew that she'd be completely horrified. She would have lectured the two about the dangers of alcoholism, which probably would have stopped Danny's drinking right then and there. But it wouldn't have stopped his depression. And then Tucker couldn't bear to watch his best friend fall apart, so he had left him to his unhealthy devices.

Tucker wanted to smack himself silly for letting something he thought was so small turn into something nearly impossible to stop. Danny could develop an addiction from this because it was hitting him at his weakest moments. Tucker had wanted Danny to make his own decisions, but he knew now that his friend was about to make some really awful ones for his future.

Tucker finally spoke up after a long minute of silence. "How bad is he?"

"He's really smashed, but I think he'll be okay," replied a now-disheartened Sam. "I'm still worried about it, though…."

Tucker's guilt was starting to eat away at him. "Sam, look, I didn't know it would turn into something this awful, but I knew about this already… Danny's drinking like this…."

Sam looked at him with wide eyes. "You already _knew_ about this?" Her voice pitched with a mix of shock and anger.

"Yes, and I'm sorry!" Tucker was quick to respond, hoping Sam wouldn't beat the living daylights out of him. "We knew you would overreact about it and try to stop him, but he really needed a distraction. Nothing was working for him, and the stress was killing him. I couldn't change his mind and let him decide. Please, try to understand…."

"Oh, I _understand_ , Tucker," Sam's voice began to crack, about ready to cry but also ready to take a sledge hammer to Tucker's apartment. "I _understand_ that you wouldn't want me to interfere with his troubles because what do I know about helping a friend make the right decision? I _understand_ that I overreact about certain issues my friends deal with because I give a shit. I _understand_ that you don't involve me, since I apparently don't matter to Danny and his life. I _understand_ just about every single goddamned thing you said, Tucker Foley!" Sam began to hold her mouse in a death grip, nearly crushing the plastic.

"Sam, please, listen to me!" Tucker said, trying to calm her. "I know it wasn't the right thing-"

"Oh, you bet it's not!" Sam began her rage once again, making Tucker wince. "If he continues this bullshit, then it's going to be impossible to wean him off of his habit! I could have at least offered him some coping mechanisms and stop it before it would become a major issues, but instead you let him do his own thing and he wound up making the wrong choices."

With a long sigh, Sam breathed out of relief that she finally got her bottled up emotions off of her chest. She glances again at Tucker who looked like a deer in headlights from her outrage.

Summoning his courage to finish his sentence, Tucker continued his story. "The only reason why we agreed not to tell you was because your lecturing would stop his only source of comfort. He has us, but what could _we_ do? If not drinking, what would he have done? There's a lot worse of things than alcohol, and you know that."

"In a way, you're right," she admitted. "Even though it wasn't the best thing to let him do it, you did the right thing by standing by him. I just wish we could have made him get better help…."

"Yeah…." replied Tucker. "I'm really sorry that it came to this, Sam. Do you want me to come by tomorrow morning to check on you two?"

"That would be awesome," Sam said. "Thanks a lot, Tuck. I just needed to talk and get this off my chest."

"No big," obliged Tucker. "I wish you luck with Danny."

Sam shrugged, a nonchalant expression on her face. "Pft. Yeah, okay…."

Logging off of her computer, Sam rested her head on the computer desk, too tired to even get ready for sleep. She looked at the clock to see that it was around quarter to one, which made her even more miserable. "I'm gonna be exhausted for work tomorrow…."

Finally having the energy to get up, she walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face to get rid of her dark make-up. Throwing away a make-up removal pad, she washed her hands and made her way into her bedroom, expecting to find Danny doing something stupid.

She was – in fact – right. Lying on her bed was a sleeping Danny Fenton, under the covers and snoozing like a newborn. _He just_ had _to be in my bed, didn't he?_ Sam sighed at her own ignorance to let him roam around alone.

Sam knew that she needed to fall asleep somewhere comfortable, but with her couch destroyed and the chair not being a great alternative…. Her pondering led her down a strange path and the realization of another alternative practically hit her in the face.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this…."

Sam stared at the only empty spot on her large bed, pajamas on and ready for sleep. Danny was fast asleep on the other side of the mattress while her side was left wide open for someone else to lie down… which she knew had to be her.

Gulping any fear she had, she gingerly got onto the bed, trying not to wake Danny up and slowly started to lay her body against the mattress, sighing peacefully. After a long, painful day of work and having to come home with a drunken best friend, sleep was wanted both mentally and physically. Her muscles relaxed, her mind eased, and she shut her eyes, turning off the light beside her and pulling the covers around her form. With another deep sigh, Sam focused on the endless darkness when her eye lids shut, trying to get rid of any other thoughts besides the fact that she was home, in bed, and going to sleep… even if her best friend was beside her in that particular moment.

Sam suddenly felt Danny shift on the bed and change positions. She could hear him groaning, or mumbling, or saying some sort of gibberish. Opening one of her eyes sluggishly, she growled to herself that a sleeping male wouldn't even let her rest for at least five minutes. Danny, however, started moving his arms against the pillow and the sheets that were covering him, making an irritating noise against the blankets. Sam tried ignoring his noises, despite how difficult it was.

For the moment, Danny was finally silent, making Sam wonder if he'll start making noise again in another few seconds. She waited about half a minute to see if he would move around or mumble something anonymous, but he did nothing.

Knowing that he wouldn't make any more disruptions, she smiled approvingly and snuggled into her warm bed, inhaling the smell of the lavender detergent she loved. Suddenly, she felt something hit her nose hard, making her jump out of surprise. It turned out to be a masculine hand, which she knew belonged to Danny.

She glared at him, getting his hand off her face. Once she pushed his hand away, she suddenly stopped to notice his peaceful state; his other unthreatening arm drooped over the side of the bed, his mouth was open slightly, and his dark hair hung over his face. As he breathed, she noticed the rise and fall of his chest.

She blinked a few times to clear her head. She attempted to resume her angry demeanor, despite her brain's longing to stare again. She shut her eyes once again, hoping – _praying –_ that she would get some much-needed sleep.

Then – out of nowhere – Danny grasped onto Sam's body, hugging her torso and resting his head on her chest area. A smile seemed to form on his face, as if he was comfortable with position was in. However, Sam's reaction was more than surprised, for she was fully aware of the little amount of space there was between the two of them, or lack thereof. She knew he was probably dreaming, and his movements just mimicked his imagination; nevertheless, she needed to get him off of her or she's go mad.

The scent that drifted to her nose was the culprit of her sudden serenity. It was a pleasant smell, not too strong, and not too weak. The particular smell reminded her of the fresh air in nature and maybe spice of after a rainy day. What was the culprit? To her own surprise, it was none other than Danny's hair in her face.

Sam shook her head to clear it once again. She glanced at Danny's position, trying to find a way to move him without waking him. If he woke up, she'd have to deal with the whole process of his buffoonery all over again. Sam grasped his hands that were holding her waist and put them at his side and then took his head into her slender hands and set it down gently beside her.

Sam finally felt at peace again, knowing that her nerves were calmed and that her endorphins weren't rushing as quickly as they were before. Even though Danny was sleeping, his actions made her body feel warm. She couldn't help it; it was exhilarating.

Danny thankfully turned away from her, making her feel a bit better now that there was a bit of space between the two of them. She turned away as well making her feel even more at ease that she wasn't watching him again. For the final time, she shut her eyes and ignored all other sounds around her… drifting into a peaceful slumber at last.


	3. Self-Medicating

A sliver of light found its way into Sam's dark bedroom, casting its radiance directly on Danny's face. His eyebrows met each other out of annoyance, the sun bright enough to shine through his closed eyes. He wished the irritating light would go away so he could snooze for another few hours, since his body felt fatigued. Knowing he couldn't fight against the sun, he opened his eyes groggily in defeat. At first, the room was spinning out of control, and it was disorienting just lying down. He was too distracted with his double vision to even recognize the room he was sleeping in.

 _Oh, Christ… my head…._

Putting a hand to his head, Danny moaned at the expected pain. _I feel just as wonderful as I did yesterday._ He tried closing his eyes again, but ended up having the sun's glare blind him once more. Groaning, Danny changed his position and turned the other way on the bed, not wanting to open his eyes out of his feelings of exhaustion. _Okay, Fenton… are you at Tucker's house again? I'll bet myself a dollar that I'm in his bedroom, probably sleeping in his bed with an empty beer bottle at the nightstand and—_

While he was on that train of thought, he simultaneously opened his eyes and expected to see a dirtied room with Tucker's computer still humming on his unorganized desk. The image he saw however, instead caught him by surprise. He almost choked on his own saliva from the startling scene.

What he saw was a familiar tangled mess of short black hair, as well as a pair of closed eyes and a serene expression on the person's face. Her curves were palpable through the thin sheets, practically molding to every part of her body. Her arms were cradling the pillow she rested her head upon, while a small piece of the T-shirt she wore to bed was folded back from the tossing and turning in her dormant state… exposing some of her cleavage.

Danny swallowed an ever-growing lump that was forming in his throat. _I never knew Sam could look so – wait a minute… SAM?!_

He jolted upright, sitting up in Sam's bed with fear practically grappling him to death. "Oh, my god.… Did I just – No, no… no, it can't be! I didn't - … I couldn't!" He looked around the room, suddenly feeling nauseated and dizzy again, frantic. He got out of the comfortable bed and sprinted to the bathroom, hoping to find a toothbrush in the drawers. After digging one out of the closet behind him, he found the tube of toothpaste and dumped it on the brush, turning on the faucet on full power and wetting it. He stuck it in his mouth and scrubbed his mouth until he knew it was raw.

 _I can't believe I just did something so incompetent! What will she think of me now? What'll this do to our friendship…_ again _?_ He spat the toothpaste foam in his mouth into the sink, watching it go down the drain and began hearing his own heart beating in his ears.

He sluggishly glanced at the mirror in front of him, his face white from his sickly state and the bags under his eyes turning light lavender. The light blue eyes he owned were practically lifeless now. His hair was frenzied, mostly out of the tossing and turning he did the previous night and from the scene he woke up to. Worst of all, he felt completely disgusted with himself.

"This just isn't my day…."

Another wave of nausea came over him again, and he almost seemed to go green in the face. The familiar aching of his upset stomach didn't surprise him. By now he practically welcomed it, knowing that it was an expected consequence for his actions. The effects of the drug would cause him some hangover symptoms for most of the day, which would mean that work wouldn't be too easy… as well as ghost hunting. Making no attempt at willpower – since it was practically pointless anyway – he doubled over the sink and hurled.

 _Oh, man…. No matter how many times I'll do this, it'll always suck._

After taking the moment to throw up, he cautiously lifted his head from the dirtied sink, wiping his mouth and hoping that it was over. However, he was wrong, and immediately started puking once again. When the nausea passed, he leaned against the bathroom counter, eventually sitting on the toilet seat and chose to relax for the time being. He eyed the waste basket just in case.

 _Danny Fenton, you are a goddamned_ idiot.

He removed the annoying strands of hair hanging in his face with the brush of his hand, only for them to fall in front of his eyes again. He grew despondent, knowing that his drinking habit wasn't helping himself or the people he cared about… like his friends and family. Thankfully his mother didn't hear about it yet, or else she'd be just as freaked out as Sam would be.

Every day he witnessed her sobbing, wishing to turn back time and somehow stop the "accident". From those thoughts, Danny felt guilty for not even bothering to go intangible during the crash; he knew he could have done something… _anything_. He's stopped dozens of crimes around Amity Park over the years, even saving people's lives… and yet he wasn't able to save his own father's.

 _Some hero I turned out to be…. Way to go, Daniel._

He held his head in his hands, struggling not to shed tears; he knew it wouldn't help. In fact, nothing would. Nobody could comfort him, and nobody could get him out of the endless cycle of grief. It wasn't helping that Valerie was gone from his world, and that other stresses were creating more turmoil in his already messed up life.

He exited Sam's bathroom, going into the main room and sat down at the dining room table, pondering over the tragedies. He couldn't get them out of his mind now that they decided to enter through the ever-open back door. _I need a damn key for that back door…._

Danny _wanted_ to escape from the sadness, wanting the endless depression to go away, but nothing seemed to help him recover… unless he had a shot of liquor. He slapped himself mentally for thinking dumb shit like that. Another thing he wanted to get rid of was his sudden desire to retire to drugs, which he knew wasn't good for him – _obviously_ – and it showed. He was more tired than usual, he felt even more depressed than when the accident occurred, and the more important tasks that needed to be done didn't seem so important any more.

 _I'm losing my mind… and my discretion. But… it's so goddamn hard to wean off it… I've grown so used to it already._

As he expected, another wave of nausea came, and he got up from his chair to the kitchen sink. He once again threw up, though it was mostly his stomach pumping out his digestive juices. A groan escaped his lips, which he wiped shortly afterwards. Noticing the remaining fluid in the sink, he turned on the faucet and watched as the remnants of his vomit disappeared down the drain.

He sighed. "This is going to be another long day…."

Danny suddenly heard something hit the floor, realizing that whatever was in his pocket had fallen. He looked down too see a brown wallet lying on the floor, a few credit cards sticking out from the leather material. Remembering that he brought it along to pay for the drinks, he picked it back up and suddenly had a reoccurring thought once he saw a few dollar bills sticking out from the interior of the wallet.

 _Oh yeah…._

He returned to Sam's bedside, taking the moment to glance at her sleeping form, his body warming from the adorable sight of her position… and how beautiful she looked. He didn't know why he started thinking those thoughts, and he was scared to find out. He allowed a weak smile to spread on his face, noticing how peaceful she seemed. He felt his heart flutter, but quickly snapped out of his trance once he realized how distracted he was becoming.

 _Take it easy, Fenton. You're past your teen years. You should know better._

Remembering his reason for being at her bedside, he started digging through his wallet and sought out a single dollar bill. He set it down on Sam's night desk, blocking the digital clock with its blocky red numbers. Along with the dollar, he attached a yellow postage note. He quickly left once the note stuck, not wanting to be sucked back into his bewildering trance and retreated back into the main room.

On the little note read three little letters:

 _I O U_

"Why am I suddenly so distracted by her?" Danny asked himself, walking randomly through the main room. "I never think shit like this! What the hell is up with my head today?"

Scratching his head in thought, he took a seat on the desk chair and sighed heavily. "I blame my goddamned hangover.… It's making me go insane."

He tried every day since the accident to stay strong, and to just keep going in life, no matter how many bumps in the road there may be. But the pain hurt him more than anything else… even more than some of his severe injuries from some of the ghosts he fought. The only way to cope with the pain was to drink, which lead to even more depression and despondent thoughts.

But then _those_ thoughts emerged… his sudden admiration for Sam's physical appearance. It really scared him. Honestly, it did. It eased the raging battle that was being fought in his head, but the reasons why he chose to think of her in that way was the cause of his fear. He only felt that way once, way back in high school when his hormones were practically unstoppable. Eventually the rushing emotions died down as he grew older and his hormone-driven thoughts for his best friend vanished into the air as if they never existed….

…And then they finally came back to haunt him.

"Yeah… I'm definitely losing my mind," he told himself, gulping. "I've got to stop it.… It's stupid and pathetic and weird."

He hoped to talk to someone about it, and he didn't care who, as long as it was someone he knew he could trust.

 _Like Dad…._

He saddened, eyes dropping to the floor. Danny remembered talking to his father during most of his high school years about the girls he liked or situations that he had trouble with. His dad wasn't always the best person to receive advice from, but he did listen, and he was able to cheer him up. That and he was the only person he was able to come to for _certain_ questions. He wouldn't dare go to his mother for personal things like that. He chuckled mentally at the small conversation he had with his father on that day, knowing that his goofy inventions for ghost hunting or his sudden want for fudge made him smile… no matter how embarrassing it was in front of his peers. He still loved him, and he always will for as long as he'd remember him.

 _I miss you, Dad._

Suddenly his eyes flashed a bright green out of anger, which made his adrenaline pump through his veins. Danny wanted revenge. He wanted it _bad_. Vlad finally managed to kill Jack Fenton after many years of his own twisted thoughts of vengeance… and he wanted to get back at the cause of the pain he had to go through during the slow week, only softened by liquor.

His fists clenched in a tight ball, ectoplasmic energy forming around them as the anger started to feed his intentions. The young hero he once was as a teen reemerged after a long while, wanting to go to that snake's house and slay the damn thing. But inside, as his adult self, he knew it wasn't worth it, or right for that matter. What good would it do if he would sink to Vlad's level of evil? Killing Vlad would have made him happier, but it wouldn't bring his dad back, no matter how much he would beat the living shit out of him. He had to think of the consequences, since he hasn't been thinking much about them since he started drinking. It would have been a nice time to start.

He powered down, taking a deep breath to calm himself down and slumped into the kitchen chair behind him. Danny gulped down another lump in his throat, holding back the cruel thoughts and his lust for alcohol… as well as tears. _Fight the urge, Danny. You've had the willpower to fight against greater enemies… so don't make yourself one._

* * *

Lavender eyes opened to the sneaky sun in the window, casting its radiance on Sam's eyes and blind her the moment her irises were vulnerable. She winced at its annoying glare, turning herself around in the opposite direction on the mattress.

Lazily moving her arm to the once-occupied side of the bed, she wanted to be sure if Danny was awake. To her surprise, he was, judging by the lack of a male body sleeping beside her. "Already, Daniel?" she asked herself. "He's an early bird…." She yawned loudly, sitting up cautiously on her bed and stretched. She hoped that Danny wasn't getting into more trouble, but thankfully he would be experiencing hangover symptoms and would probably be more laid back for the time being. Whatever the case may be, she had to get out of bed before she would have to go to work. She looked to her left so she could read the clock, but to her confusion, a dollar bill sat like a wilted daisy over the digital device. She arched her eyebrow, picking it up and pushing her hair behind her ears so they wouldn't dangle in front of her eyes. She spotted the little note attached to it and read it to herself:

 _I O U_

"An IOU? For _what?_ Since when did he owe me money?" Still in a state of bewilderment, she decided to shrug it off and left the dollar dangling over the digital clock, which she now knew read seven-thirty. Work was going to start in less than an hour.

"Time to get your ass out of bed, Manson," she said to herself, sighing heavily as she forced her body to get off the comfy mattress. She longed for a better night's sleep. Thanks to her incident with Danny the previous night, she lost at least three hours that should have been spent snoozing. Nevertheless, last night was an interesting one.

As she dragged herself into the bathroom to do her daily regiments, her thoughts started to drift back to Danny… as well as the recurring emotions she felt when he was next to her. The feeling of his hands touching her abdomen, the way he was sleeping with his hair in front of his face… and the sweet smell of nature that filled her nose when she caught the scent of his hair….

She stripped before hopping into the shower, turning on the warm water that always drained the stresses from her mind. She smiled pleasurably as the water hit her skin, causing a feeling of warmth and comfort as she used her hands to pull back her dark hair to rinse. However, the water wasn't the only thing that caused a sense of warmth and comfort….

Flashes from the previous night and the same emotions started to tantalize her. _No. Stop what you're doing right now, Sam, and get a hold of yourself. It's not right…._

She couldn't help but start to wonder _what_ Danny was dreaming about, causing him to grab onto her form. Was he dreaming of some kind of love? Comfort? _Sex?_ She pondered on that thought. _Well… he_ is _male. A very_ visual _male._

Sam shook her head. She knew Danny would only be more human if he dreamt of sexual intercourse, but a nagging thought started to talk to her when she continued to dig the already-deep hole.

Okay, so she suspected it, but why would he dream of her? Why not Valerie or Paulina? Those were the girls he would go after, so why her? She rolled her eyes to herself, cursing for even bothering to think thoughts like that. High school was over, and this stuff didn't need to happen in her life, especially since she wanted to get away from it in the first place. She chose to ignore her epic battle against her own goddamned conscience and finished her shower, which was taking a lot longer than she intended.

* * *

He stared at the metallic refrigerator, his back leaning against the kitchen counter with an anxious right leg tapping impatiently. Danny swallowed the saliva in his parched mouth, wanting something to clench his sudden thirst. His choices, however, weren't a variety. He knew he was losing his internal battle.

 _You're just thirsty. No biggy, Fenton. Just grab a glass…._

At the same time, he searched the cabinets to find a tall glass cup, ready to be filled. He looked behind his shoulder to once again glance at the fridge, part of himself wanting to open it. But then he noticed the water dispenser attached to the door that opened to the freezer, and smiled with relief covering his face. He confidently walked to the freezer, and put the glass against the dispenser. The light flickered on, and at first the dispenser paused, almost as if it ran dry. Danny held his breath, fearing that there wouldn't be any water to fill up his glass… which would resort to other drinks he hoped to not come in contact with.

He heard a few sounds coming from the dispenser, and he waited patiently for the water to come. When he expected to hear the clear swooshing sound of water against a clean glass, he heard the loud crackling and banging of rectangular shaped ice. He stopped the flow of ice into his glass, and cursed. He wanted to drink water before he would start to crave.

He noticed that the button on the dispenser was assigned to ice, and realized his mistake. _Oh, duh._

He lifted his finger to click the button that had a picture of water being poured into a cup, but paused. His craving for a better tasting beverage made him stop in his tracks. He again looked at the other door handle directly beside him, finding it too irresistible to back down.

Danny quickly looked away, and focused on the button he was about to press on the water dispenser, a serious look on his face. But, once again, his icy blue eyes focused on the handle.

 _Aw, Christ…. Why is it so hard to choose?_

He felt clammy and warm, enough to not even feel the glass that was below freezing in his hand. He started to sweat, fighting against his will. He knew he couldn't do it, and it wouldn't make the situation better if he did. However, he couldn't fight it any longer and he needed to decide.

A voice in his head tried to convince him otherwise. _Sam's in the shower right now, Danny…. Take a chance. Don't let the little time you have left go to waste. Do it._

Danny took the glass off the dispenser and practically slammed it on the nearby counter out of frustration, thankfully not enough to crack it. "Damn this all to hell!"

* * *

Sam stepped out of the shower, the colder air making her body shiver. She grabbed her towel lying on the bathroom floor and started to dry herself off at a relatively slow pace. The clock that sat near the sink said 8:02 AM. Her shower lasted twenty minutes longer than she wanted. _All these thoughts are making me lose track of time…._

Not only was she going to be late for work, but she was worried sick about Danny. She was going to have to face him again the moment she stepped out of the humid bathroom air… against the feelings that she couldn't stop, and her pity for his misery.

She spotted the pajamas on the toilet seat and put them back on for the time being. She knew it would be a little awkward if she walked out with only a towel. After she put on her clothes, she walked to the door but to only glance at the sink, which was still covered in Danny's vomit. The sight wasn't pretty.

"Well, at least I know he feels like shit today.…" She turned on the faucet and let it go down the drain, as well as turning out the lights on her way out the door. However, the situation she saw in the kitchen caught her in a state of shock.

She saw Danny pour the remaining liquid from the aluminum can into one of her glass cups… and the label on the can didn't make her a happy Sam.


	4. Let's Try That Again

_Shit_.

First he was pouring the beer into the ice-filled glass, and then Sam happened to pop up out of nowhere, almost as if she knew what he was planning on doing. The female's face was impassive with her lips forming a thin line and her arched eyebrows sitting casually above her eyes. Her eyes, however, were filled with the emotion that was missing from her face. In those beautiful amethyst eyes, Danny saw everything. She didn't have to move any part of her face for him to know how she felt about his intentions. He blew it.

To add to his sudden demise, he had to somehow explain to her about his… _behavior_ the previous night. He felt so fearful of what she'll think, both of his drinking and his loss of control before he –

He stopped his thought process before his mind would end up in the gutter. All that mattered at that very moment was that Sam was _pissed._

Sam didn't know what to think.

She knew Danny just got smashed last night, and now he was going to drink _again?_ At almost 8:30 in the morning? Just when he practically pumped his stomach out? She didn't think I can take much more of this.

She felt tears stinging her eyes. She didn't want them to come, and she forced them back. She was used to locking up her feelings in an iron cage since her parents never understood her, even as an adult. But this… this was too much. Her best friend… one of her _only_ friends… was going to lose an internal battle with himself.

Instead of immediate tears streaming down her face, she grew angry more than anything. She had to say something.

Danny braced himself for her outburst.

"Danny… why?" she said, her tone calm for a brief minute. "What the hell are you doing to yourself?"

Danny didn't answer and only stood in place as if his feet were super glued to the floor. He couldn't move from his position. The only movement that came was to lower the can he still held tilted in the air onto the counter. His eyes darted from one part of the room to the other every few seconds, nervous as hell.

Sam's voice started rising. "Well, don't you have something to say for yourself?"

Again, Danny was silent. He could only swallow more saliva in his still-parched mouth.

" _No?_ " Danny saw a flash of anger in her eyes. He knew it was coming. Sam moved quickly to his side, her voice dangerous and venomous with an accusing finger pointing in his direction.

"You have every right to be ashamed, Danny Fenton, because even though I just heard about your so-called drinking problem _last night_ , I'm getting tired of this bullshit! Do you know how worried I was about you? You haven't spoken to me in days because of this, and now I'm about ready to bawl from how horrible and ridiculous this is!

"You and Tucker should have told me about this sooner! I could have helped you! I care about you, Danny, why didn't you talk to me about this?" She took a breath, as if to regain her composure, but her voice started to crack.

"This is just… I've had it!" She rubbed her face with her nimble fingers and looked away.

If Danny had to pick any option at this point, he would have punched himself in the face. Sam wouldn't have to be so upset with him if he had chosen otherwise. However, trying to calm her down at this very moment wouldn't help the situation; the damage was done, and he knew Sam held grudges.

He wanted to comfort her, and tell her that he didn't mean it. _How could I have been so stupid?_ Part of him wanted to go back in time and prevent everything that had happened to him: his father's death, his break up with Valerie, getting drunk at the bar, and eventually _doing_ Sam.

He _really_ didn't want to bring that up.

However, only part of him wanted to do all of those things that would somehow be obliged with forgiveness. The other selfish part of him wanted to continue his endless grief and wallowing, drinking the pain away and not doing a single damn thing to stop it and make things matter in his life again. No… that would be too hard. The lack of willpower was easier to give into.

Still… he had to say _something_ to make Sam feel better, even though it was practically impossible from where it was going. Not only that, but he'd have to apologize to Sam about his sexual act he didn't mean to commit the previous night... no matter how exhilarating or phenomenal it might have been.

Danny mentally slapped himself. He made himself even angrier for considering that he couldn't even remember it.

He watched as her gaze shifted away from his own, making him feel even more miserable. He had always loved the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled. It had been a long time. _Why can't that come back?_

"If it makes you feel any better, I hadn't taken a sip yet. Honest." Her position didn't change. "I didn't drink anything, I swear." He felt stupid and childish for repeating his apologies, but there wasn't much to say. It was silent for half a minute until Sam finally decided to speak, the side of her face peaking behind her shoulder.

"Is this some stupid lie or can I believe what you tell me now?" Her retort came out cold and icy. It stung.

"I'm telling the truth, Sam. I didn't drink anything since I woke up."

Like he expected, his words didn't faze her. "Prove it."

Danny opened the fridge to reveal the six-pack – now only five cans – of beer sitting on the highest shelf. "The remaining ones are still in there, and the remaining one here is full. You can even feel the weight and see that my lips weren't on it."

Sam's expression softened a bit, as if she was slowly starting to believe his statements and gripped the handle to the fridge, closing it gently. She heaved a sigh, knowing that she once again decided to overreact during stressful situations. She knew Danny wasn't a liar, minus the times he had to come up with stories to hide his secret, so why did she start freaking out? _I need some sleep. If I snap at another person then I'm going to lose a few friends._

"Danny, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be so harsh. I do trust you…."

"I understand, Sam…." _Don't apologize for the shit that was_ my _fault._ "…It was dumb of me to even start this crap in the first place, and it only made my life worse… and not just my own." He eyed her carefully from where he was to gauge her reaction. "I didn't mean to cause any more stress in my best friends' lives. I just… wanted something to turn to. I was lost."

Sam couldn't help but want to ask as she listened, "So you couldn't come to us for support?"

His eyes met hers for the first time in the past ten minutes. "I wanted to be alone, Sam. I just needed to think things through and step away from it all. Vlad just killed my father after so many years of his failed attempts, and it was a major kick in the balls that he finally managed to do it so easily!" For the first time since his problems dawned on him, Danny started to express how he was feeling. It felt strange at first, since he usually talked to his friends about everything. But now, situations like this were just too unbearable for him to bring up... until now. Again, distain flooded his mind as his eyes changed into a bright green with a quick blink. "He's going to pay."

That quick flash of anger she saw in him was something Sam didn't want to see. She'd seen him do some dangerous things with his powers driven by anger and frustration. At times, it was out of his control and happened haphazardly. However, in some circumstances when the people he cared about were in danger, raw indignation was clearly visible in his actions. She knew how scary he could be when his emotions conducted his logic.

"Take it easy, Danny…." Sam tried to soothe him. "Vlad is in enough trouble as it is and probably wouldn't regain his status because of this. Right now, I bet he's in hiding somewhere since no one has heard from him anyway."

"I doubt it," said Danny, his expression a bit more tranquil now that his eyes returned to a calm blue. "With his ghost powers, he can do anything he wants. He can easily manipulate others to do the things he desires and is probably at his home in Wisconsin right now with his crime records burning in his fireplace." He leaned against the kitchen counter, his face buried in one hand, sighing. His head was still aching. "Not only that, but I keep having recurring thoughts about Valerie… and how much I loved her…. I just wish I could have done something to prevent all of this…."

Sam looked at her best friend, worried for him. She could obviously see that he needed her and Tucker to get through his losses. She knew it would be difficult for him, but they had to try. Still, she couldn't help but feel warm inside that he cared so much for the people he loved. She admired a lot of things about him… especially because of the reasons behind his super hero business – to help others. In that moment, he was the one that needed help. A small smile started to spread on her face.

"I don't know about you, Danny," said Sam, leaning against the counter with him, "but it looks like you need a hug."

Amusement filled his features, a weak smirk forming on his lips. "Very funny, Sam."

"I'm serious," she said. She stepped forward and placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently as if to calm his senses. Danny couldn't help but feel at peace with her slender fingers and slow, circular movements causing a warm sensation in his body. If he'd lift up the sleeve to his shirt then he would have felt it against his own skin. "You look like you need some comfort…."

He didn't have the heart to turn her down. He rolled his eyes mockingly. "Alright… so I just might need a hug."

Sam didn't hesitate to embrace him, choosing to remain there for a long period of time. With everything going on all at once, the two felt the need to have a long moment to be silent together. Danny didn't mind. He was glad that she at least still cared about him despite everything.

The same taunting aroma filled her nostrils, making Sam suddenly feel relaxed even after all the constant drama that occurred in barely two days. Feelings of euphoria clouded her mind, loving the position she was currently in. She didn't know why, but she felt so safe and protected, as if all the problems she's been dealing with have melted away. She continued to greedily inhale the scent, finally realizing how familiar it was.

God, _I missed it._

Danny couldn't help but feel just as peaceful. Holding his best friend right in his arms… feeling warmth rush over him by a caring touch. It felt good to have someone there for him. However, the warmth that came rushing in wasn't only caused by loneliness. Sam's hair was still damp, and the way it touched his skin made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end; her skin was still soft from her recent shower, and he could still smell the remains of the soap she used to wash. He shut his eyes as he felt himself starting to fantasize.

"Hey, guys!"

Sam and Danny jolted awake from their embrace, breaking away and nearly falling to the floor in a heap. They looked to see who made the loud greeting and witnessed a drowsy Tucker standing with a backpack filled with textbooks. He also looked like he was about ready to soil his pants from their scare.

"Geez, guys, I didn't know you were enjoying your hug _that_ much."

"Tucker!" growled Sam, "you nearly gave us a heart attack!"

"Consider it payback," Tucker grinned.

As humorous as the situation was, Tucker felt a bit awkward. "Well, anyway, sorry that I'm a little late," Tucker said. "I needed some sleep since I stayed up all night to finish my essay. I'm guessing you two are doing just _dandy_?"

Danny gave Tucker an annoyed expression. "We were just hugging, Tuck. I can't take anymore harassment at 8:30 in the morning.

"8:30?!" Sam suddenly cried. "Oh, crap, I'm late for work!" As quick as a flash, Sam rushed back into the bathroom to resume getting herself ready. The two men stood near the kitchen, both feeling a bit awkward.

"So… how was this morning?" Tucker asked casually, hopefully trying to make conversation.

Danny put on a fake smile. "Oh, just _excellent_ , Tucker. I really enjoyed the part when Sam shot down the little pride I had left in me."

As a reply, Tucker frowned, cringing his body in a wilted posture. _You had to ask a stupid question, huh?_ "Sam gave you a good talk?"

"Hell yeah," said Danny. "She was pretty pissed off. I can't blame her much, though. I kind of… caved in to my own temptations this morning…"

Tucker's expression completely changed in the blink of an eye. "Smooth, dude. _Real_ smooth."

It was Danny's turn to cringe. "It was driving me nuts! I couldn't take the pressure anymore. I felt like I needed it, and when I was going to take the first sip, Sam caught me red-handed. I knew I was screwed when she saw me."

"Man… that sucks," replied Tucker. "At least you guys made up from where I was standing?"

Danny smiled to himself at the thought. Even something so simple made him feel warm inside once more. Strangely though, those thoughts seemed to startle him. Tucker noticed his pause and small grin, and smiled slyly.

Tucker found his reply good enough to be passable. The look he saw on Danny's face was pure gold. _The guy's still clueless… I feel so sorry for him._

Sam finally emerged from the bathroom, carrying her purse and jingling her car keys in her hands. Her face and hair looked more presentable with make-up covering her eyes and lips and her hair brushed. Her attire was the traditional work clothing, and in black as always. Danny caught himself staring.

 _Fenton… just knock it off._

Sam glanced at the two boys before she would have to practically run out the door. She knew Tucker had to go to class at a later time and won't be staying much longer, so Danny would pretty much be left alone. However, for as long as she has been the best of friends with him, she couldn't trust him now, not with the six-pack still in the fridge. He seemed to have better control, but he could easily cave.

"Okay, guys, I really have to get to work so my boss doesn't rip my head off," she said. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay."

"It's understandable, Sam," Tucker said. "I can't stay much longer either since I have that English class today around 10:15."

"So… I'm guessing I'll be alone?" asked Danny, though he already knew the answer to the question.

"Oh, no, you don't," Sam said, her finger waving in front of his face. "I'm not leaving you alone again, not after what happened last night…."

"So, where can we drop off Danny since he can't go back to Valerie's and he can't stay at your apartment?" Tucker asked.

"If anything, we'll send him to his parent's house for now," said Sam.

"Can we stop talking about me as if I'm not here?" Danny said, growing agitated.

Sam focused her eyes away from his. "Danny… we do trust you as a friend," Tucker said, "But… right now, we don't trust you with yourself."

"Tuck's right, Danny," said Sam. "We're going to have to drop you off at your mom's house while we do our things. I'm usually done with my shift around three, so I can pick up Tucker and you and –" She stopped her thoughts, knowing that what she might say would cause Danny to completely back out of the agreement. Tucker and Danny stared at her in bewilderment, wondering when she'll finish her sentence.

"And you'll _what_?" Danny asked.

"Umm…. Let's just say I have something planned for this afternoon."

Tucker and Danny exchanged glances.

"Look, can we just go with it? I really have to get to work!"

"Fine, fine," Tucker said in a hurried fashion. "I'll just drive Danny to his mom's house and I'll get to school. Then we'll meet back here and do whatever the hell you wanted to do, Sam."

"Good," she said. "I'll see you guys later!" Sam ran out of the apartment – almost too quickly – the door slammed behind her.

Danny furrowed his brow in thought. _She's up to something…._

* * *

 **[A/N 5-23-17]: Hello everyone! Sorry for the slower updates lately, but I've had a few unexpected events in my personal life that I've had to juggle with work and summer classes, so things might be slow for a while.**

 **Thank you to everyone for sticking with my stories! Just a note here that Danny is still in school, just taking time off (unofficially) since everything that happened and the drinking thing.**

 **Another side-note here, I'll be updating Pokemon Ashen next, and then I will be starting to rewrite and update (hopefully finish) Defying the Gods at some point, and then I plan on starting drabbles for Miraculous and Pokemon!**

 **Stay tuned for more! Please read and review! And thank you to everyone for the lovely reviews and constructive criticism! This is the last chapter that was posted by Draco09, so starting with Chapter 5, it will be my own style of writing but continuing the same plotline. I hope everyone enjoys my take on this story!**


	5. Unfinished Business

Keeping secrets was something that ruffled Sam's feathers.

But telling Danny that she had a lunch date today was probably not the best idea right now.

Unfortunately for her, that meant that she felt a lot of guilt weighing on her. What made her better than Danny and Tucker for keeping Danny's drinking hidden? _No,_ she thought, _one is dangerous and the other isn't._

Due to her thoughts running wild, she definitely wasn't able to focus all of her energy on the tasks at hand. Sam worked in a small beauty shop part-time while going to school. At a first glance, most wouldn't think Sam would be one for that kind of store, but to her, it paid the bills, and she got great discounts on incense and soap that she needed (she was a sucker for lavender). At the moment, she was supposed to be organizing the body sprays according to scent. The key word there being _supposed_ to.

"You know, Manson, we all know you're color-blind, but can you not read either?"

Sam's eyes couldn't roll far enough back into her head before she slowly turned to face Paulina behind her. To satisfy her need for physical confrontation, she reached behind her and tightened her apron a little too tightly over her black skirt and tank top. "What do you want?" she snapped.

Paulina clicked her tongue at Sam and pointed to the shelf behind her. "They're supposed to be _scent_ oriented, not _color_ oriented."

Interestingly enough, it was in this shop where Paulina and Sam had become at least acquaintances. They didn't necessarily enjoy each other's company, but Paulina had caught Sam wearing a certain ring that screamed _expensive,_ and the cat was out of the bag that Sam was well-off. They never really got along despite that knowledge, but they did cover each other's shifts once in a while. It wasn't a standard friendship by far, but it was better than enemies. And very obvious to Sam, Paulina enjoyed getting the dirt on Danny… both Fenton and Phantom.

Sam pursed her lips. Despite the insult, she _was_ helping her so the manager wouldn't yell at her again. "I just had a late night last night." She turned away from Paulina and started fixing the sprays.

Paulina raised her eyebrows and leaned against the wall next to Sam. "Oh?"

"Not like that," Sam corrected quickly. "Danny came over and-"

"Fenton or Phantom?"

Sam narrowed her eyes at Paulina pointedly. "Fenton," she grumbled.

"Now _there's_ something interesting," Paulina pointed out. She uncrossed her arms and straightened. "How's he been since…?" she trailed off.

Sam sighed. "Honestly… not good." She pinched the bridge of her nose. At least she was being a little more considerate than usual.

Paulina frowned. _Now_ she understood why her night was so late. "Well, if he needs anything, let him know I'm here for him."

Sam hesitated before placing down the bottle she was holding. "Thanks… I will."

Paulina shrugged. "He might be a little bit of a dork, but he's a very sweet dork." She turned to walk away but then added, "Try not to mess it up this time."

At that comment, Sam couldn't even be mad; she knew Paulina was right.

After Danny and Sam had broken up, Paulina had come into the picture rather too quickly for Sam's liking. It had been just as senior year ended when Paulina had found a sudden strange interest in her friend. With the news that Dash had gotten a football scholarship to Yale and that Danny would be staying local, Paulina decided to give the long-standing crush he had had on her a genuine shot.

Danny hadn't come on strong; in fact, Danny was skeptical after the incident with the amulet back in freshman year. Despite that, Paulina had explained that she was done with the football types and dumbasses and that she wanted something a little more serious.

In Danny's excitement, he played up the works: flowers, movie dates, fancy dinners, etc. All the things that Sam had hated, he wanted to try. But unknown to him, Sam was jealous and hurt; she appreciated the goofy gestures he had made to her and missed the way he looked at her. Fortunately, she quickly noticed that he didn't look at Paulina like that; instead he was a nervous wreck with her.

But she had wowed him too. She took him on family vacations, boat parties, and other high-society events. He was very much star-struck but not happy.

Despite all of this, Sam and Danny had remained best friends. She supported him when he was right but also defended Paulina when she felt that she was being the more reasonable one (much to her distaste). And through their relationship, Sam had come to have some more respect for Paulina when she genuinely tried to make it work.

It all came to an end when Paulina had admitted that she could no longer date Danny when she still had the damsel-in-distress love for the Ghost Boy. Danny was upset, but he was also glad he was done with the showy kind of life dating her had involved. He was simpler than that.

Which was why Sam had come to think about her own relationship with Danny whenever she ran into Paulina, and they discussed Danny. In her mind, she had let him down.

She had felt that their relationship was fun: they fought ghosts together, played video games together, marathoned their favorite shows, lunch dates at the Nasty Burger… and they never left out Tucker for too long. It was only the minor P.D.A. that ever made Tucker gag once in a while and they laugh.

But that was just it, they didn't work together. While Danny had managed to keep his secret from Paulina the entire time they dated, Sam knew about every time that Danny would nearly die, get tortured, controlled, or kidnapped. And it made her sick to her stomach. The problem was that Sam didn't know how to put into words that it was okay for them as friends but not for a relationship. She didn't want to put her best friend and her heart into danger. But she unfortunately realized the reality: she had to separate the two or learn to manage.

And when she was in high school, trying to juggle SATs, college applications, grades, and ghost hunting, the last thing she needed was to also worry about her boyfriend getting hurt and having her heart ripped out.

So one day after Danny had been missing for a few days – and Sam had gone out of her mind – she was caring for him in the lab alone when she had finally snapped. She had voiced how angry she was that he was getting into more and more trouble.

But Danny was unreasonable – at least in her mind. He had insisted that Vlad was out there somewhere, and when he had thought he was on his tail, Danny was captured by Valerie. She had created an underground arena of sorts using the technology from her dad's old job at Axion. It was infallibly ghost-proof and had proven more complicated to break Danny out than Sam and Tucker were prepared for. She had managed to pit Danny and Vlad against each other as if in a dog fight to the death. Danny had just barely managed to win with a final Ghostly Wail before passing out, himself. Sam and Tucker had gone into the ghost zone to find Dani (Danielle) and break him out while also keeping Vlad at bay.

He had been hurt pretty badly by the time they got to him, and in spite of everything, Valerie _still_ hadn't found out his secret. And the way Danny saw it, the whole ordeal had been worth it in order to get information about Vlad: his fighting style when forced into a corner, his current mental state, and how strong he still was.

Usually being the less volatile one, Danny had remained calm until Sam had said that Danny shouldn't go in alone like that again. That was when Danny had said it, "If you don't like me being Danny Phantom, then leave!"

And she did.

In tears.

So Danny had essentially broken up with her – in her mind – and it was all her fault. If she had gone with him or convinced him not to go alone, he might not have gotten hurt that badly in the first place.

Sam realized that she was biting her lip in an effort to hold back tears. She saw that the sprays weren't arranged right once again.

She sighed. At least she had a lunch date with Wes to look forward to later.

* * *

Anxiety was not an unfamiliar feeling for Danny Fenton. But in his current pathetic state, he knew that something needed to change.

After Sam and Tucker had left, he had tried a multitude of things to help himself feel better. He took a hot shower and changed into a spare set of clothes he'd left at Sam's apartment in the event a ghost ripped his current clothes apart (it had happened on more than one occasion). He made himself some cereal and watched T.V. He had tried watching some videos on Sam's computer to make himself laugh and then played some _Doomed_.

When his boredom had gotten the best of him, he had texted Sam to ask if she'd be home for lunch but got no response. He was growing more and more aggravated with himself. Was Sam avoiding him since the other night? How did she feel about what happened? He couldn't even remember it….

He was starting to hate himself: first the depression, then the drinking, and now whatever happened with Sam… his _first_ time… and he didn't even remember it.

The only redemption he felt he had was that it _was_ Sam. He had been worried that with his drinking escapades something would've happened in that department earlier on, but fortunately for him, he hadn't been taken advantage of.

But whatever happened last night had to have been his fault. He had no idea where to go from here. And _God_ he could _not_ tell Tucker.

The only other thought vaguely itching his brain was that he hadn't gone to class in a week. His phone had blown up with emails from professors and classmates after what happened – it was a pretty small town after all and most of them knew who the crazy Fentons were – but he had pushed off trying to figure out what to do about the rest of the semester.

Now _there_ was something that he knew someone that could help him. Sighing – and not really prepared to make the call – he picked up his phone to video chat with Jazz.

After a few rings, Jazz picked up. "Hey little brother," she said solemnly with a small head tilt. She frowned upon studying his face a little more. "How are you doing?"

After the crash, Jazz had almost immediately gone back to school – Yale – and buried herself back in her books. She was home for just a mere weekend – only enough time for the wake and funeral – before driving back. Danny hadn't spoken to her since it happened, but he had assumed that with her double Health Science and Psychology majors with a minor in Sociology, she would have made herself pretty busy.

"Ah… not so good, to be honest," he said with a light chuckle. "I think I fucked up pretty badly this time."

Jazz's eyes widened, and Danny saw her grab a pair of earbuds and plug them in. "Was it related to what happened?"

Danny shook his head, "No, no… not that stuff. I uh…. I haven't been back to school yet."

"Oh," Jazz said lightly, "well that's okay, you know? Take the time you need."

"Yeah but shouldn't I tell my professors? Or take a semester off or something? It's only a few weeks in, and I'm not sure what to do."

At that, Jazz allowed a small smile. "Well, at least you're thinking about the important things. But you have to worry about _you_ first, Danny."

"I know, I know," he said.

"Don't you give me that crap," Jazz snapped, pointing a finger at her phone. "I'm not nagging you. I'm being honest. You need to feel better before you can worry about anything else."

Danny smirked slightly. "Thanks, Jazz. You're right, I just…." He trailed off and sighed, not knowing if he should broach the _other_ subject with her. They had never talked about relationships all that much except for when he wanted to charm Paulina a while back.

Jazz whispered into her phone, "Any _activity_ lately?"

"You mean ghosts?" he asked. When she nodded, Danny shook his head. "It's been pretty quiet, actually."

"Well that's a good thing, right?" she asked. Then Danny nodded before she continued. "Look, if you think you need some time, then by all means, take the semester off. You know mom and I just want to see you happy."

"I…." He looked away from the phone.

Jazz frowned. She was so worried about him. Before leaving, she had asked her mom if she should stay to take care of her and Danny. But Maddie Fenton was a strong woman. She had insisted that Jazz do whatever she needed to cope, which she knew was go back to school. But both of them had voiced concern over Danny. He having been in the car during the accident made them both believe that Danny might have thought it was his fault. And Jazz had spoken to a very angry Danny before leaving; he wanted revenge… blood. But the way he was avoiding her eyes now – even in a video call – was making her believe that the initial anger at Vlad had worn off and guilt had taken its place.

"Just try to breathe," she said finally. "I know it's been hard, especially for you." She didn't voice the having been in the car or the vendetta Vlad had had for Danny and Jack, but the implication was there. "When you're in a better place, then think about school. But don't worry about that right now, okay?"

Danny finally sighed. "Alright… Thanks, Jazz."

"No problem, little bro. That's what I'm here for," she added with a wink. "You know, among other things."

Not really wanting to hang up yet, Danny just nodded but didn't respond.

Jazz pursed her lips, unsure if she should press him or not but decided to let him think on it. He would come to her again if he needed to talk. "I'll talk to you soon?"

"Yeah."

She waved goodbye and clicked to end the call.

Jasmine Fenton groaned, ripped out the earbuds and threw herself backward onto her bed, covering her face with her hands.

"How's he holding up?" said the blond football player from the couch across the room.

"Just wonderful," she muttered.

"That bad, huh?" Dash prodded.

Jazz sat up and rubbed her face before looking at the floor. "I'm going for the stuff, and I don't know how to help my little brother. What good am I if I can't even do that?"

Dash frowned before standing up to cross the room and sit next to his girlfriend. Not knowing what to say, he just put one arm around her shoulders and let her tuck her head into the crook of his neck.

"It's really hard sometimes," she muttered again. "I just want to help."

"I know," he said. "He'll talk to you when he's ready."

Meanwhile, while Danny was laying on the couch with an arm over his face, he heard the front door lock being undone and sat up.

Sam walked in and shut the door behind her, tossing her bag to the side and pulling off her apron as she approached the kitchen.

"How was your morning?" Danny said quietly from the couch.

"Oh, you're awake," she said, acknowledging him. "I figured you'd be hungover."

 _Ouch_. "Uh… no, actually. I'm okay."

Sam bit her bottom lip before answering. "It was okay. It was just pretty slow."

"Oh…. That's good, right?"

"Mmm," Sam agreed, pouring herself some water. "Paulina asked about you."

Danny stood and crossed into the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow at Sam, wondering why she had told him that.

"She said she heard about the crash," Sam said, choosing her words carefully. The word "accident" was more than enough to send Danny into a fit of rage. "She was worried about you."

Danny pursed his lips. "That was nice, I guess."

Sam nodded. "It was." She glanced at her cup, swooshing around the water. She turned and pulled out a second glass, offering it to Danny. He nodded, so she filled it and handed it back to him.

Danny noticed the way she watched him when he took the glass. He was wondering if he should broach the subject he dared not say. He took a long drink from the glass.

She was wondering if he was craving alcohol instead.

"I have to go get ready," Sam said suddenly, breaking the silence. She moved passed him and walked toward the bathroom.

"You just got home for lunch," Danny pointed out, setting down the glass.

"I…." _Oh boy._ "I… I actually have a date."

It was a good thing Danny had set the glass down first.

* * *

While Sam had shut the door to the bathroom to get ready for her little lunch date, Danny's eyes had blasted wide open in bright green.

The problem was that he hadn't known where to direct his anger. But mostly, it was at himself.

Sam had left rather quickly, being that she only had an hour for her lunch break before having to get ready for class.

But of course – much to Danny's chagrin – his Ghost Sense had gone off without warning. "It figures," he said, rolling his eyes. "Sam tries to forget about last night, and now the one person she doesn't want to think about has to go and save her…. God _damn_ it!"

Danny quickly transformed and followed her down the street and a few more blocks away. It looked like she was heading to the café near her school.

Trying to be subtle about it, he remained invisible as he watched her. But _God_ was he jealous of the way she looked right now. From the black leather jacket over her usual purple tank top that framed her chest to the black mini skirt hiked up to her mid-thigh, she was a sight to be held. But Danny shook his head and pressed his hands to his face. "You seriously need to let her go, Fenton."

After a few moments, a waiter came out to meet Sam and led her to a table around the side of the café where a gangly red-head was waiting for her. He stood up to meet her as she approached and handed her a single purple rose.

"Oh come _on_ , Sam… You can do so much better than _that_!" Danny hovered a little closer to the table they were seated at as they ordered lunch. Danny crossed his arms. _Wes_. _Of all the people she could have gone out with…._

It wasn't that Danny _hated_ the guy, per say, but ever since an incident in high school, Wes had been hung up on exposing the Ghost Boy. He would occasionally follow Danny – Fenton – around, took creepy pictures of him, got the basketball team to play pranks on him, and eventually went to the same college as Danny. Of course, Wes was still kind of a weirdo, so fortunately for Danny, no one actually believed the kid.

Danny had to wonder why Sam would go on a date with him of all people. There had been a lot of times when she and Tucker had to convince Wes to go home or pull some other escapade to make sure Wes never actually got his hands on proof of Danny's secret. Yet here they were, just a few years later, and they were on a date.

Just as Danny was incapable of rolling his eyes far enough into the back of his head, he breathed out a Ghost Sense again. He turned just fast enough to see the ghosts in front of him.

"You have _got_ to be kidding-"

Before Danny could finish his thought, a blast of ecto-energy hit him square in the back sending him careening into the roof of the café.

Sam jumped up out her chair, knocking it backward at the sound of the crash while the other diners screamed and ran.

"We have to get out of here!" Wes yelled to Sam. "It's dangerous! The Ghost Kid-"

"Oh screw this," she said. With that, Sam reached into her jacket and pulled out an ecto-blasting pistol, taking aim to the air.

Her jaw went slack at the sight of what ghosts were there.

The three vultures of the Masters' Mansion were the culprits, but they looked significantly different. There were much larger and had on thick armor of sorts. They had sneers on their faces that matched the new look.

"What the fuck are they doing here?!" she hissed.

"Sam, we need to leave!" Wes tried again while cowering under the table.

"Just get out of here!" she dismissed while steadying the pistol with both hands. She took aim at the vulture that had hit Danny and fired.

The bird was much quicker than Sam had remembered, and turned to see the energy heading in its direction. He swiftly flew beneath it and spun to launch another one in Sam's direction.

Her eyes widened and rolled underneath it, firing at the other birds.

Danny, meanwhile, was rubbing his head and shaking the roof's shingles off of himself. He looked around to see Sam coming up from the ground. "What are you doing? Get out of here!" he yelled. Then he noted that the others were still flying high. "Oh great, the birds have been working out."

Danny flew up and rammed into one of the other vultures while dodging one of Sam's shots. He made direct contact and he slammed the one into a brick wall. "Well the ecto-energy is new, but you guys are still a bunch of bird brai-"

Again though, Danny was too slow. Before he could turn around, one of the other vultures swooped down and dug its talons into both of Danny's shoulders, resulting in a scream of pain.

"Danny!" Sam yelled, her eyes wide. She aimed the pistol up at the bird and shot at one of the wings, causing it to let go of Danny so he could turn and kick it in the beak.

" _Sam_ ," Danny hissed, narrowing his eyes at her, "I told you to get out here!" But of course, another one was right behind him, sinking its own beak into Danny's side.

Slightly frantic, Sam made a dash for the fence that surrounded the café and climbed up. She made it to the roof to get close enough and fired the pistol directly at the bird's head.

Screeching, the Ghost Vulture let go but not before ripping out a chunk of flesh from Danny's side. He yelled in pain again, clutching the gaping wound as ectoplasm bubbled through his fingers.

Watching on in horror, Sam noted Danny's labored breaths as he hovered in the air, just barely. His shoulders were oozing, his side was open, and there was more ectoplasm seeping down from his forehead from earlier.

As another bird threatened to attack, Sam shot it repeatedly with the gun before it finally hit the ground.

"Hmmph!" one of the other birds scoffed.

"The goth one has been practicing!" another chimed in.

"Or she's just becoming protective." the first observed.

"Let's get him and go," the second said.

With that, the two conscious vultures swooped down and picked up their comrade off of the pavement to fly away.

Sam would have shot them on their way out, but in the recognition that he was safe, Danny's body finally gave out, and he seemed to fall in slow motion to the ground below.

" _Danny!"_ Sam screamed, jumping down to the fence and climbing down. She ran over to Danny's still form, looking around frantically as he transformed back to his human self. The fight seemed to have scared off any onlookers, but Sam was no less afraid than before. What was the ectoplasm oozing out of her best friend had become thick, sticky blood, covering his body and matting his hair. Sucking in a breath, Sam replaced the pistol to her jacket pocket, hauled Danny over her shoulders, and carried him home.

* * *

The first thing Danny Fenton was aware of was the incredible agony he felt on his side.

Vision hazy, Danny slowly cracked open his eyes. Looking up, he saw Sam cleaning out the wound on his stomach with a taught expression.

He started to prop up himself on his elbow but hissed in pain, making him very aware of the pain in his head.

"Don't move." Danny noted how much emotion lacked in her tone. It made his blood run cold despite the fact that he was sweating from the pain.

"Sam-"

"What the _actual_ _fuck_ were you doing?!"

Danny winced against the sudden snap. "I-"

"No, you don't _get_ to give me an explanation, _Fenton_ , because I'm going to _tell_ you what you were doing."

"Sam, _please-_ "

"I _finally_ get to go out for _one_ god damn day without worrying about ghosts," she counted on her fingers, "or ghost hunters, or the world coming to an end, or _you_ … oh, _especially you_ ," she added with a slightly hysterical laugh. "And what do I get in return for helping you?" She raised her voice a touch but deepening it sarcastically, "Get out of here, Sam! It's not safe for you, Sam! You'll just get in my way, Sam!" She grunted before continuing in her own tone, "Well it sure as hell looked like _you_ were the one getting in _my_ way, asshole!"

"Sam," Danny started, trying to sit up again to prove his point and failing, so he slumped down haphazardly, making Sam roll her eyes at him. This only infuriated him further, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Look at me! Do you want to end up like this?" he said, gesturing to himself.

"What? And you _do_?" she snapped.

"I'd rather it be me than someone else!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air but wincing when his shoulders ached. "I have superpowers! I'm not even human!"

" _Half_ ghost, Danny. You are still human." Sam said curtly. "Which means you can get hurt too. You didn't see the way you… you… _oozed_ ectoplasm on the pavement before it all turned to blood." She squeezed her eyes shut against the vivid memory. When she opened her eyes, she couldn't look at him, training herself to the wound and pouring a little too much alcohol in it.

Danny hissed at the sting. "I know full well that I bleed, Sam. I'd bleed out on the pavement if it meant saving-"

"I don't give a _shit_ Danny!" she yelled, still not looking at him as she stood abruptly, throwing the open bottle of alcohol across the room. "Risking your life on a daily basis is _enough_! Let us help you!"

For the first time in a long time, it was Danny's turn to snap. He yelled, " _No!_ Not after what happened to my dad! What if that was _you_?! I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to you! Do you understand _that_ , Sam?!"

Finally allowing Danny to speak, she let the words sink in. Her eyes started to water as she released the hands that were balled up into fists. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it again before taking a shaky breath. "I understand, Danny. Now… now you know how I feel every time I've seen your Ghost Sense since we were fourteen."

Then it was Danny's turn to be speechless. He watched Sam silently as she walked across the room to pick up the now-empty bottle of alcohol and dab the rug with a towel. She finished quickly and turned to leave the room without another word.

* * *

 **[A/n 9-1-17]: I know…. I said I'd get more of a schedule going, but it's just going to have to be whenever I'm free to do it, I plan for at least once a month, but that would be for each story. So my recommendation is to just subscribe to the story! 3**

 **Anyway, this is my first real chapter for this story that I wrote without any previous writing from Draco09! I really enjoyed continuing from where he left off, and I really hope you guys like my writing despite the differences between mine and his! I will not be trying to replicate his writing – as you could see from this chapter – so I hope that you can appreciate both of our styles! (Did anyone catch that foreshadow?)**

 **BIG THANK YOU to corgi-likes-chat on Tumblr for her cover art! I had it commissioned and full permission to use it. Visit my Tumblr to see it in full and check out her other fabulous work on hers!**

 **I am still working on Pokemon Ashen, but I will also be starting to write Miraculous drabble stories soon! Look forward to those, and thanks for following the story! Remember to review and subscribe!**

 **trainernick on Tumblr**


	6. Strike at the Heart

[Sam 12:34]: _Danny needs a babysitter._

[Tucker 12:35]: _What happened now?_

[Sam 12:35]: _Danny decided to join me on my lunch date and now hes hurt and in bed. Can you come over and watch him?_

[Tucker 12:36]: _I've got class all day today. Why dont you find something to occupy him? Like show him a Netflix show or something?_

[Sam 12:36]: I can barely look at him right now, never mind suggest a binge-watch…. Heh. No pun intended.

[Tucker 12:36]: Sam….

[Sam 12:37]: Well I cant bring him home to his mom like this. Can you imagine her reaction to me showing up on her doorstep with Danny wounded like that?

[Tucker 12:38]: Not like it hasnt happened before We've just been better at hiding it when he's been more… helpful

[Sam 12:38]: I do have one more idea.

[Tucker 12:38]: Sam no.

[Sam 12:38]: Sam yes.

[Tucker 12:39]: That was meant to be given to Danny when he was ready. You cant just go around opening ghost portals!

[Sam 12:39]: Do you have a better suggestion to babysit a halfa?

[Tucker 12:40]: No…. But what good is Wulf gonna do? He cant even speak English

[Sam 12:40]: *shrugs* Esperanto is close enough

[Sam 12:40]: Besides, Im sending him to find a sitter

[Tucker 12:41]: Who…?

[Sam 12:42]: It'll keep Danny occupied and hopefully watched over enough

[Tucker 12:43]: Just dont make it a ghost we cant handle. Danny's got enough on his plate.

[Sam 12:43]: Trust me, Tuck. When was the last time I used a ghost to my advantage?

[Tucker 12:45]: You want a list in alphabetical or chronological order? Lunch Lady, Skulker, Ember….

[Sam 12:45]: Ok ok, but this is to help Danny this time.

[Tucker 12:46]: Uh huh

[Sam 12:46]: Thanks for the support

[Tucker 12:46]: Whatever. Just dont do anything stupid.

[Sam 12:46]: Yeah yeah

[Sam 12:48]: Do you think Mr Fenton knew?

[Tucker 12:49]: I dunno

[Sam 12:50]: Why else would he put a portal gun in his will to Danny "when hes ready"

[Tucker 12:51]: I have no idea. Maybe ask Danny when hes sober

[Sam 12:52]: easier said than done

* * *

The afternoon sun spilled in through the window on Danny's face, making his eyes squint against it. He rolled over, pulling the blanket up over his face with a groan.

Then he felt the ache in his side.

He pulled the blanket down and reached to his side, feeling the bandages and realizing that his shirt was off. The touch of his hand on his side made him hiss and retract immediately. But in his hiss, a cool mist spilled from his lips.

 _Great. Just what I needed right now._

He carefully dropped his legs over the side of the bed and stood to transform. The rings erupted from his midsection and spread up and down his body, giving him his full suit once again, completely intact.

He glided over to the bedroom door, his hand hesitating over the knob. The opposite hand formed a ball of ecto-energy.

"Listen, buddy, I haven't exactly been feeling too great lately, so if we could just make this quick…."

He turned the knob and threw open the door.

He was immediately thrown backward by a small, green ghost licking his face on the bed.

"Cujo? What are you-?" he questioned, but the ghost dog merely yapped and continued licking his face. There was a note attached to the collar and Danny took it in his hands, unfolding it as the dog continued jumping at his face.

"Hopefully this keeps you out of trouble. –S"

Danny sighed, putting the note on the bed next to him. He detransformed and ruffled the dog's fur between his fingers. "Well I guess it's better than bringing me home."

He smiled down at the dog and pulled out his cell phone. He texted Tucker.

[Danny 2:30]: _Hey… I know I messed up again… Wanna come by for dinner?_

[Danny 2:32]: _Also…any idea what a ghost dog eats?_

* * *

Not knowing what else a ghost dog might eat besides the ecto-hot dogs his parents occasionally had on hand, Danny and Tucker ordered Chinese food. They occasionally threw him some chicken and beef while they ate mostly in silence.

"I really fucked up this time, huh?" Danny asked suddenly.

Tucker sucked in a noodle. "Yeah man. What were you thinking?"

Danny stared down at his food and then back down at Cujo. He tossed him a piece of chicken. "I was looking out for Sam." he said quietly.

"Keep telling yourself that," Tucker retorted.

Danny winced. "Okay… maybe it was more than that…." He bit his lower lip then sighed. "I've missed you guys."

"And stalking Sam on a date is the best way to remedy that?"

Danny glared. "Funny. I was afraid I'd really hurt her."

"Well yeah, she's pissed, you know."

Another wince from Danny. "She said it was that bad, huh?"

Tucker put his fork down and looked at Danny. "You need to talk to her yourself, dude."

Danny sighed again, twirling his fork in the lo mein but not taking a bite. "I don't know what to say. How do I even bring something like that up again? And she hasn't… so…?"

At that, Tucker quirked an eyebrow. "I would have thought Sam would _constantly_ be yelling at you for what happened."

Danny's eyes widened. "Thank _God_ no. Just the drinking thing obviously."

Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Wait. What do you-?"

Just then, the lock on the apartment door clicked open. The two boys could hear the dropping of keys on the kitchen table and a bag hit the floor. Sam sauntered into the room, pausing for a moment when she saw the two of them, glared at Tucker, and slammed the bathroom door.

As Tucker began to connect the dots: drunk Danny not remembering the night, Sam being mad, not thinking she would bring it up… Sam came back into the room with a hitch to her tone. "Tucker, get out."

"Wait, Sam. I don't think you and Danny understand-"

"I _said_ … get _out_." she hissed, jabbing a finger at the door.

Tucker mumbled to himself. "Good luck with that then…." and left.

"And _you_ ," Sam hissed, crossing the room in seconds to jab a finger into Danny's chest. "Do you think this is some kind of _joke_? Do you know _why_ I left you the damn dog?!"

At that, Cujo whimpered and scurried off into the bedroom out of sight.

Danny turned back to Sam, her eyes narrowed up at him. He swallowed hard at their proximity. His heart began to pound in his chest.

"I… I can't _believe_ you!" Sam said, shoving him by the shoulders. Danny allowed himself to be shoved back, despite the significant size difference between his near-six-foot stature and Sam's mere five-three. As she got closer to him again, throwing him against the wall, he finally saw the way her eyes were clouding over. "I've done nothing but help you, and worry, and I'm finally _trying_ so damn _hard_ to let you go do what you need to because you insist on pushing us all away! And _yet_! You have the audacity to show up on _my_ date! How… how could you?" The water in her eyes finally spilled over the edge and streamed down her face, forming a path through her natural-looking makeup.

Danny's chest tightens and he feels the twisting of his stomach. _I did this to her._

He tried to reach out to her with a hand to her shoulder, but she smacks him away. "Don't touch me!" she snapped back.

Danny instantly recoils. His mouth opens and then closes again, eyes wide. Finally, "Sam, did I… Did I hurt you?" he said with all of the conviction his could muster at that point.

Sam scoffs and wipes the tears with the back of one hand. " _Hurt_ me? You didn't hurt me, Danny. You hurt _us_."

 _Oh_.

Finally, with her having taken a breath, Danny reached out again and cupped her face in his hands. She turned to look away from him but doesn't jerk away.

"Sam…" he whispers, his voice husky with emotion, "I would _never_ want to hurt you." His voice cracked, making Sam finally meet his eyes.

Before she has a chance to reply, Danny slowly moves a strand of hair away from her face and lowers his lips to hers. He held her soft face in his hands, kissing her slowly but desperately, showing her his apology.

For a moment, Sam forgot how old she was. She was back in high school, sweethearts with Danny. She has the "Wes" ring on her finger after Danny had turned it over to show her who it was meant for.

But with a jerk back to reality, she remembered why she had thrown that ring back at Danny. She remembered why they had screamed at each other. She remembered the aftermath of that fight. She remembered the "accident", and she remembered the Danny from last night.

Sam pulled back and slapped him across the face as hard as she could. Stepping back, she found she was shaking, and Danny stood with wide eyes and holding his cheek, not even red from how quick he could heal.

"Why do you have to do this to me?" Sam whispered. She turned on her heel and slammed the bedroom door behind her.

Danny sighed. "Way to go, Fenton." He mumbled to himself. He reached down into his jeans' pocket and pulled out a small, fake-gold ring hanging on a chain.

* * *

" _You could have gotten killed! Or worse! What if Vlad had cloned you again? What if he gave you to Valerie to torture? What if you got sent to the Guys in White? What then, Danny?!"_

" _Sam, enough!" Danny finally snapped. "When we got together, what was the one thing I said to you, after everything we've been through, what did I ask of you?"_

" _If I was okay with you being a ghost." Danny was about to response but Sam continued, "And I am! I love all of you! But I hate the part of you that puts you in danger! If something were to happen to you-"_

" _Because I'm a ghost, right?"_

" _Yes, Danny! You're a_ fucking _ghost! And it's_ really _difficult to deal with that sometimes!" Sam didn't hear it through her yelling, but Danny's breath caught at her words. "You could get hurt in ways that I can't or used or something else!"_

" _Get out."_

 _Sam recoiled. "I'm sorry?"_

" _Sam, I'm a_ halfa. _And I've been told time and time again, that I'm a monster," he started to tick off on his fingers, "an abomination, a freak, a menace…." He lowered his head, his black hair covering his eyes. "If you don't like me being Danny Phantom, then leave!"_

 _Finally, he looked up to meet Sam's eyes, hers purple and watering, his glowing bright green under the fluorescent bulbs of the lab._

 _Sam finally broke her gaze, sobbing at last. She turned and ran away from him, dropping the bandages on the floor behind her._

 _Danny faintly heard a clinking noise as something hit the ground._

 _He hopped off the examination (dissection?) table, and bent down to pick up the object._

 _He swallowed hard._

 _He had held onto it ever since._

 _But the one good thing that he decided was for the best… was that he could never hurt her again._

* * *

The ring shone brightly, glinting off of the sun's rays setting in the living room as Danny stood alone once again.

 _The only reason I broke up with her that day was to stop hurting her…. Look what you've done._

Danny knew that humans and ghosts could live together peacefully. Cujo was evidence of that. But for a halfa? The only other one in existence was _Vlad_. What did that make him?

Danny's face quirked into a smirk. There _was_ one other person he could go to.

With a sigh, he transformed.

"I'm sorry, Sam."

* * *

 **1-29-18**

 **Been awhile, huh? The story is not over, I promise! Any guesses as to who he's going to? What did you guys think of the breakup scene? Danny still has the ring, even though he and Valerie just broke up?**

 **Let me know what you guys think! Stay tuned!**


	7. Remember Me

Danny found his _cousin_ Dani at soccer practice after school. He waved to her when he got the chance, and sat in the bleachers waiting for practice to be over.

She emerged from the locker room and back to the bleachers with Danny after a few minutes and punched his shoulder. "Thanks for coming! Took you long enough to show up!"

He sighed. "I know. I've just been feeling pretty crappy lately."

Dani frowned. "I'm really sorry, Danny." She leaned her head on his shoulder. She hadn't seen him since the funeral and knew what was probably on his mind.

"I just didn't know who else would understand," he said quietly.

Dani scoffed. "There is one other person…." She felt Danny tense underneath her and she recoiled. "Sorry."

He merely shook his head and then patted hers, ruffling her already-messy ponytail. "If he was good for one thing, it was that he gave me you."

Dani smiled up at him and then hugged him, burying her face into his shoulder.

"So how's living with Frostbite going? Getting chilly in the Ghost Zone at all?"

She smirked and shoved him. "Thank you for setting that up. He's a big teddy bear… pretty literally. But he's been helping me hone my ice powers too! See?" She help up the palm of her hand and formed a little crystal, holding it out to Danny. "Could you give it to Sam for me?"

Danny gingerly picked it up between his index finger and thumb, putting his chin in his other hand and propping his elbow on his knee. "That's the problem, I guess."

"Been thinking about her again?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Well…." He started, but trailed off.

"Well what?" Dani pushed.

"Valerie and I broke up a few days ago-"

" _Finally_ …." Dani drawled. Danny narrowed his eyes at her and she pursed her lips. "Look, it wasn't gonna last with her trying to kill us."

"Not the point," he said, lowering his voice.

"I didn't like you with her anyway, with you having to be more secretive – than usual-" she added at his skeptical look, "and stuff. Besides, Sam is the one for you. Always has been."

Danny quirked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah? Not with how much we've been fighting."

"Well Valerie obviously couldn't stick it out through the shitty times with you," she said matter-of-factly. "Sam's been with you through it all, _secret_ and all. You love her."

"I can't be with someone that knows," Danny said quickly. He stared at the crystal in his hand and wrapped his hand around it tightly. "It's not safe. And too much of a burden besides that."

"That's not true," she said, her voice rising.

"How would you know?"

Dani swallowed. "I mean, most of the ghosts in the Ghost Zone know…. And they don't spill your secret."

"Yeah, because I'd kick them into the thermos for eternity." Danny froze for a moment before turning to Dani, his eyes wide. "You're dating a ghost?!"

She chuckled nervously the same way he knew himself to do. She rubbed the back of her neck. "It's no one _crazy_ …."

"Danielle…."

"Okay, _dad_ ," she dragged out. "It's Youngblood."

"The kid?" Danny's eyebrows both raised.

"He's not a kid!" she snapped. "He died when he was around my age, 16. He's just pretty small and couldn't let go of the whole 'I just wanna stay young forever' thing because of how he died. But he's really sweet, and he's come to Frostbite's island a few times-"

"He's dangerous." Danny said dryly.

"He's confused," Dani answered back. "He doesn't know what he wants and I'm okay with that. He doesn't wanna hurt anybody, he just wants to have fun."

Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. "And all of those times he's terrorized the town?"

"He's sorry about that, by the way," she pointed out. "Though he thought it was funny that he got you so frustrated back then."

He narrowed his eyes at her when she smirked.

She waved him off. "Look, Frostbite doesn't seem to mind, and it gives me a chance to actually date someone that knows my secret."

 _Ah_ , Danny thought. _Now it makes sense_. "Dani, you don't need someone to know who you are to date them."

"That is the stupidest fricken' advice I've ever heard." she said flatly. "You don't believe that, do you?"

Finally, he sighed and looked down at the crystal again. "I don't know anymore."

"Danny," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "if you love her, you can make it work."

"I don't think I can. I really fucked up this time."

"Yeah, I heard."

Danny turned to her.

She shrugged. "Tucker's a washwoman, what can I say?"

Danny groaned and looked away. "What else did he tell you?"

"He said that you guys communicate _horribly_."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, really! He said that you thought you guys did _the do_ , and Sam said you didn't and so it's making everything a lot worse. But you won't listen to reason."

Danny gaped at her for a minute and then smiled. "Wait-wait-wait! Back up. …So I didn't do that with her?"

Dani face-palmed. "No, you big dummy."

He sighed and put his face in his hands. "I'm such an idiot."

"Maybe you shouldn't drink like that again."

Danny narrowed his eyes again. "What _else_ did Tucker tell you?"

"Let's see…." she started to count on her fingers. "Sam found you drunk on the sidewalk, she went on a date with Wes – that you ruined – then you two argued about something neither one of you understood, and now you're here."

"You're pretty nosy for a high school kid."

"It's my job as your little cousin – to annoy, that is." She smirked at him.

"Well just mind your business, alright?" he said. "I'd like to be more in the loop about Youngblood too, okay?"

"That's hypocritical," she pointed out. "Would you like me to go into detail about teenage love?" she asked flatly.

"Not what I meant." he said.

She paused for a moment. "His name is Riley, by the way."

Danny raised an eyebrow at her.

"He really is sweet. He takes me all around the Ghost Zone on trips, he tells me about whatever I don't understand about the Ghost Zone, and he listens to me when I talk about school or Vlad or the whole double life thing. He really cares and makes it really easy to talk to him," she finished.

Danny watched her as she slowly lit up with the way she spoke about him, getting more and more animated as she got excited. He wondered to himself if he did that when he spoke about Sam.

Dani looked to him expectantly.

Danny sighed. "If he treats you well and makes you happy… that's what matters most, I guess."

She beamed. "Isn't that what Sam does for you?"

* * *

Sam rolled over in her bed, waking up from her restless nap.

Her eyes widened when she came face-to-face with a green puppy.

He immediately licked her face and she sat up, pushing him down from her head and holding him out at arm's length.

"Remind me why I thought this was a good idea again?" she asked herself.

Cujo's tongue lolled out of his mouth, drooling on her lap as he wagged his tail.

"This is why I'm a cat person."

She set him down in front of her lap and she rubbed her face with her hands, groaning. She felt like absolute garbage.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on purple spider slippers as Cujo spun circles around her legs. She smiled at him, at least enjoying the company.

Wearing an oversized black T-shirt, she walked down the hall to the kitchen and looked in the fridge. She spied the cardboard container, picking it up and opening the lid to find broccoli lo mein. _At least he remembered to get me something too._

She brought the carton to the counter, pouring the contents onto a plate and heating it in the microwave for a minute. She said down at the kitchen table, pushing aside the mess Danny and Tucker had left her. She couldn't think about it now; she'd get to it later.

Cujo sat at her feet and wagged his tail against her leg, watching her expectantly.

"You're insane if you think you're getting my broccoli," she said.

Cujo whined and laid down, putting his face between his paws.

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. One noodle." She dropped a single strand onto the floor in front of him, making him jump up and slurp it down.

As Sam put another broccoli in her mouth with the fork, she startled when she saw a figure phase through the roof. She relaxed when she saw that it was just Danny, and he looked at her sheepishly.

"Hey…. Sorry, I didn't mean to scared you," he added when he saw her expression. "You're usually fine with me doing that." Then it occurred to him what was wrong and he winced. "Sorry… I can just go," he said, pointing to the door. "I was gonna come clean up the mess we made and maybe take Cujo home…."

Sam just let Danny ramble, watching him dryly. She hated to admit that she was kind of enjoying watching him flounder. But she finally nodded to the dishes in front of her, and Danny visibly eased.

They kept to the comfortable silence while Sam ate and Danny cleaned up. He eventually noticed that Sam was feeding Cujo noodles here and there as he was drying the dishes.

He smirked. "So… does this mean you're a dog person now?"

Sam glared for a moment before dropping Cujo another noodle. "Not yet…." she said and then paused. "I appreciate you washing the dishes too. You didn't have to do that."

"I think I did," he said quietly. He shook his head. "You're welcome."

They sat quietly again as Danny finished the drying the dishes. Sam put her leftovers away and the dishes in the sink which Danny took and began washing as well. She allowed him a small smile before turning away.

"Sam, I wanna talk about what happened."

She rolled her eyes. "I think we already covered that."

"No, really," he said, putting away the last dish. She turned to him fully, and he eyes were serious. "I know I was an idiot. That much has been said. But I think I misunderstood what was going on with us." He looked down and scuffed his sneaker on the tile.

Sam folded her arms across her chest and waited. She didn't want to sit there and listen to his bullshit again, but she wasn't going to push him to admit something either.

Danny heard the silence and looked up at Sam. He ran a hand through his hair and walked over to the chair across from her, putting his hands in his lap. "I thought… I thought I hurt you," he said plainly.

Sam quirked an eyebrow. "No shit," she said flatly.

"No, no…." he backtracked. "I mean… I thought we… _I_ … when I was drunk and wasn't thinking straight… I woke up in your bed, and I thought I'd-"

"Stop!" Sam practically yelled, holding up both of her hands in front of her. "No! No… we didn't do anything like that. I took you in so you could sleep it off. You wandered into my room and fell asleep. I had an early morning so I just laid down next to you and slept there instead of the couch. That's all."

"I know," Danny said, wincing at the memory of Dani. "At least, now I do. I needed some advice and talked to Dani, who found out from Tucker-"

"I'm going… to strangle him," Sam hissed through clenched teeth.

"Almost exactly what I said," Danny replied with a chuckle.

Sam's shoulders eased at the sound of Danny's laugh. With a knot in her stomach, she realized how much she'd missed that sound.

Danny cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh…. I just… I'm really glad that's how it went down. But I _am_ really sorry we got there in the first place. You were right… about everything."

Sam watched Danny begin to unravel, and she hadn't the faintest idea how to stop him.

He spread his hands out on the table. "You were right about Valerie, hunting alone, the… _accident_ ," he said begrudgingly before swallowing and continuing, "and you would have said the same thing about the drinking. And that's why I didn't come to you. I didn't want to admit I was wrong. I didn't want to admit that I'd let myself get to this point. That _all_ of this… it's my fault."

"Danny…" Sam tried, but he held up his hand.

"Please don't," he said calmly. "This is the part where you get to say you told me so."

Sam grimaced. Did she trust him again? No. Definitely not. But she missed him. And admitting what he was doing was wrong was a good first step. She reached her hands across the table and took each of his larger ones in her own. His head snapped up to look at her, but she kept her gaze focused on their hands, rubbing the back of his with her thumbs. "I'm proud of you," she said quietly. "I'm still worried about you… but I've missed you."

Danny let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I've missed you too," he said, squeezing her hands gently in return.

"Stay," she heard herself say."

Danny's eyes widened slightly. "Stay?"

"Yeah," Sam said quickly, "stay here so I can keep an eye on you. And I think you could use the company."

"What about my mom? I have to go home."

Sam shook her head. "I don't think you're in any condition to help her right now, and I don't think your situation would do her any good either."

Danny winced.

"But we can go there for dinner and stuff and maybe help around the house a bit. But I think you're not going to be good influences on each other right now." she conceded.

Danny nodded. "No, you're right," he agreed, then chuckled again, "as usual."

Sam smiled with him. Then she looked down and remembered that they were still holding hands. She pursed her lips and reluctantly pulled her hands away. Danny pulled his back quickly too. That was a bridge they'd have to wait to cross until Danny was back to somewhat normal.

"So…" Danny started, "did you hear Dani has a boyfriend?"

* * *

 **[A/N 10-1-18]: Yes, I will be continuing my stories to the end. No, I am not done writing, and no, I will not apologize for delays in chapters anymore. I hope you enjoy the ride with me, regardless!**


	8. Watch

After Sam had ordered pizza for the two of them, they joked about old times; whilst ghost hunting was a rather touchy subject, they did always have some things to laugh about.

By the time they finished, Sam had wiped tears from her eyes from laughter and Danny helped clean up. Sam urged him to go take a shower – insisting he needed one – and Danny had to agree.

Once he allowed himself to just feel the water after finishing, the warmth on his skin sent a satisfying shiver down his spine. He sighed contentedly, throwing his head back under the stream as the grime from the past two days mixed with the water and headed for the drain.

He thought about how much the past week had changed his life. He went from two parents to one, dating to single, and sober to not. He winced at that last one.

He turned around to face the water, pressing both hands against the tiled wall as he let his head hang under the water, his hair hanging over his eyes. He sucked in a breath as water rolled off his nose… then a sob escaped his lips.

He clenched his eyes shut and one hand pressed to the wall turned to a fist and slammed the outer side back against the wall. He didn't deserve to cry… didn't deserve to be sad… it was his fault… he could've done _something_ … _anything_ besides staying where he was.

Tears mixed with the shower-water rolling down his face, and he leaned down and turned the knob, stopping the water. He heaved again – quieter this time – and turned to grab the towel off the rack.

Danny slipped into a clean T-shirt and pajama pants Tucker lent him for the time being before he'd go back to Valerie's to get his things. Pushing that wonderful thought aside, he opened the door with the towel over his shoulders and looked to the living room for Sam.

"Feel better?" she asked, looking over the back of the couch. She was watching TV in the background at a low hum on some crime show. Her eyebrows scrunched. "Not for anything, but you could at least wring out your hair before getting my rug wet."

"Right, right," he said quickly, scrubbing his head with the towel still on his neck. He made his way toward the couch and tripped over at the corner, practically falling onto it.

"At least this is typical Danny stumbling," Sam muttered.

Danny's chest tightened before he saw the smirk on Sam's face. His mouth made a small "o" before he rolled his eyes at her. "Ha, ha," he said, dryly. He put the towel over his face and leaned back over the arm of the couch, putting his palm to his forehead over the towel. "I feel like shit enough as it is." With that, Cujo decided to jump up and land on Danny's stomach, prompting an "oof" out of him involuntarily.

"Well I know that you know you acted like an idiot," Sam commented with a chuckle, "but does your head actually hurt too?"

"A bit," he admitted. "Most of it is probably null and void from my ghost half," he mused. He peaked an eye out from under the towel at Sam.

She stared pointedly. "Ibuprofen?"

"That would be lovely," he said.

Sam got up off the couch, and headed toward the bathroom. She called from the other room, "Have you thought about going back to get your clothes and stuff yet?"

Danny groaned audibly.

"I'll take that as a no." She stepped back out into the hallway with two pills before heading to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"I don't want to leave my mom alone," he said. "I've been staying with her since…." He let the thought trail off.

She knew what he meant and frowned as she brought him the pills and a glass.

Danny sat up when she handed them to him. "Thank you," he said, quietly. He threw the pills back as he tossed his head and drank, passing the empty glass back to Sam. He leaned over and smoothed Cujo's fur on his head.

"Well, I don't think you moping around is helping her at all either," she pointed out. She sat on the couch next to Danny and pet Cujo's back.

"I know," Danny said quickly. "I just… I'm afraid to leave her alone." He rubbed his face with his hands. "I feel like I'm going insane trying to keep myself together for her."

"Don't you think she's doing the same thing for you?" Sam asked, gently.

Danny sighed as he let his head fall onto the back of the couch. Sam watched and put a hand on his leg closest to her. This made Danny glance over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Why don't we go back to your house tomorrow? I'll go with you." she offered. With Danny looking as thought he would protest, she added, "If I'm being honest with you… I don't think you're crazy."

"What do you mean?" he said, straightening a little.

Sam pulled back her hand and trained her eyes on Cujo. "The birds… when they attacked me at lunch, maybe it has something to do with-"

"Sam." Danny's voice with curt but strained. "Please don't make me go there."

"Maybe they're keeping it under wraps so that the public doesn't panic," she suggested quickly. "He might be-"

"Sam." His tone was deeper, nearly a growl to cut her off. "Not tonight."

She nodded but said nothing else. Danny sighed and rubbed his face again in frustration. "I'm sorry. I'm just…."

"It's okay," she said. "You need to handle it your own way. I get that you'll be frustrated. I just want to help."

Danny gave her a small hint of a smile. "I know. You've been more helpful than anyone. I'm sorry."

"Let's get some sleep," she said and stood up.

Danny gave her a wave. "Just shut the lights when you go down the hall."

Sam quirked an eyebrow at him. "You don't have to sleep on the couch, you know."

Danny felt his face heat up. "I don't?"

"We've been friends forever. I don't care if you don't," she said in total honesty. "Besides, we did it last night."

Danny coughed. "I wasn't exactly coherent enough for that. Sorry if I invaded your space."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Just come to bed, dipshit. I'm going to the bathroom," she added and closed the door behind her.

Danny recovered after a moment, beckoning Cujo to follow him. He went down the hall and sat at the edge of Sam's bed and pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the floor. Cujo jumped up and nuzzled into the blanket at the end of the bed.

A beat later, Sam emerged from the bathroom in a long black T-shirt and socks. She'd taken her makeup off, and her hair was a little disheveled from being taken down.

Danny forgot how to breathe for a moment. It had been a long time since they'd had a sleepover, let alone seen her so vulnerable. His chest tightened, realizing how much his missed the intimacy.

"Is that my shirt?" Danny realized, the next moment.

Sam looked down and felt her face warm slightly. "Oh, is it?" she asked, hoping to play it off. "I've had it for years. Thought it was pajamas."

Danny smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you kept it because you liked it."

"Don't kid yourself, Fenton, of course I like black," she shot back.

He chuckled. "I missed this," he said quietly as he pulled the blanket down and threw himself onto the bed."

Sam smiled. "I did, too," she admitted. She slid off her socks and climbed into the bed, hesitating a bit at the proximity to Danny's bare torso.

He had noticed. "I could put my shirt back on if it bothers you," he said as he leaned down to grab it off the floor.

"No, no, it's fine," she said, shaking her head. "It's not like I haven't seen your chest before."

"Alright," he said, laying back down.

Sam leaned over to set her alarm and clicked the lamp on her nightstand off.

It was silent for a moment. In that moment, Danny felt a sinking in his chest and reached his hand down to the pocket in his pants. When he felt the quarter-sized lump there, he breathed out.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Sam facing away from him. He sighed and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He chewed his bottom lip before opening his mouth. "Hey Sam?"

"Yeah?" she said, her voice not yet sleepy-sounding.

"I'm sorry about Valerie," he said. "I know how much you didn't want that for me… and… well, look where it left me when the going _actually_ got rough. You were right."

Sam sighed but didn't turn to face him. "You don't need to apologize to me," she said. "I just want you to take care of yourself. I thought that your relationship with her could be dangerous with the ghost hunting and all. And back when she captured you and Vlad…." She trailed off, not trusting her own voice to continue.

"I know. There have been a few close calls… more than I told you and Tucker about." he added, a little more quietly. "After my dad… I got angry with her a lot, and I think my eyes might've changed color during a fight once…. Even before we broke up, I was sleeping at home a lot."

Sam frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Danny said with a light chuckle. "You can _literally_ say you warned me."

"That doesn't make it okay," she replied.

Danny had nothing to say to that.

The sounds of Cujo's snoring got a little louder, and Danny and Sam both smiled in the darkness.

"Hey Sam?"

"Mmm?" she groaned, clearly getting closer to dreaming.

"Why did we end up here? Why didn't we work?"

There was a beat of silence, and Danny cringed hard, wondering if he'd pushed her too far. He was about to apologize when she answered, "If we were meant to be, we would have been by now."

Danny thought about that but didn't give her an answer. Was it true? Did he really miss his chance? Or was there still time to make things right again?

Danny realized he had something else to say. "Sam?"

No response.

Whether or not she was asleep, Danny wanted her to have it. He reached into his other pocket and pulled out the other item roughly the size of a quarter. In the cover of dark, he leaned over Sam and placed the crystal on her nightstand. When he leaned back, he hesitated as he hovered over Sam, watching her slowly breathing in and out in the peacefulness of sleep. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again, glowing green. He got a better look at her, her face calm as she dreamed. He leaned down slightly, his lips ghosting over her forehead. He held back from touching her. "I'm going to make things right," he promised.


End file.
